Be My Familiar!
by BaePuppyCat
Summary: Kirishima has always tried to manage but when his dad vanishes after gathering a huge load of debt he's kicked out of his home. Following a bizarre series of events, Kirishima helps out an odd man who grants him his house in return. However, it turns out to be a shrine and the people who reside there are suddenly claiming that he's the new god! krbk kamisama!AU. Rated T for Bakugou
1. Kirishima Becomes a God

"Ah-choo!"

Kirishima sniffled miserably, bundling himself against the chill of the evening's breeze. His stomach let out an undignified groan and he sighed, pulling out a meat bun he'd managed to swipe at the school's cafeteria earlier in exchange for his juice. Guess this would have to suffice for dinner. His dad had managed to snag the rest of his food money and after briefly rifling through his pockets, he came up with a grand total of enough change to maybe buy himself something from a vending machine and some pocket lint.

"I'm… really in trouble." He muttered to himself.

Cold, hungry, and homeless at his age. Who knew it could all spiral so fast? One second, he'd had a home and the next he was being evicted because of his father's crippling debt and incredible gambling habits. Sure, his home may have been… not great. In fact, one could even say it had been really shitty, complete with leaky roofs, windows that didn't completely keep the wind out, and a generator that only worked most of the time. But at least he'd _had_ a roof, _had_ windows, and _had_ electricity. He'd even had the dwindling money left from his mother that he was always struggling to hide from his dad.

Now it was all gone.

At home, it had always been a battle over finances. Between trying to pay for rent and to provide a day-to-day living for the two of them while attending school, it was a constant struggle to stay afloat when he would always come home and discover his dad had once again found the location of his stash. By that time, he would have managed to already gamble it away or invested in another loan only to gamble that way too, every time insisting that he would _surely_ win this time and they'd be able to repay everything - no worries! But it would all be gone within the day and no matter where Kirishima tried to hide the rest of their money - on top of the fridge, inside his clothes, under the loose floorboards - the man was like a bloodhound and would inevitably find it.

"For sure this time, Ei! Dad will repay all our debt when he wins!" His dad would say as he laughed giddily over a bottle of sake while Kirishima himself would be pouring over _another_ budget he'd have to redo. And around and around they went until a couple of hours ago after school…

 _Going on a long journey. Sorry kiddo. Don't look for me. - Dad_

Kirishima stared down at the hastily scribbled sticky-note with glassy eyes and had to re-read it several times before his brain could catch up. This had to be some kind of joke.

Then there had been a lot of banging at the door. When Kirishima went to answer, the landlady and some men in suits were there. The words "vacate immediately" and "repossession" were thrown around and then they were demanding to see his father. Kirishima could only stare at the pathetic note. The rest was history as all he could do was blankly watch as his house was stripped for all it was worth, which wasn't much, and in the blink of an eye he found himself on this park bench late at night with nothing but a small bag with the bare essentials.

And so here he was. With no shelter, no food, no money - and utterly alone.

"I can't believe that shitty old man!" Kirishima leapt up in a fit, shaking his fists at the sky. "What kind of adult runs away from home and leaves behind his son with so much debt and no other family! What am I supposed to do now?!"

He crouched over, spent, and buried his face in his arms. He was glad that it was so late because no people were around so they couldn't see how pathetic he must have looked. He _felt_ pretty pathetic. It wasn't very manly of him of course, trying to hold back tears over his circumstances, but not even out of high school and he'd already reached rock bottom. Really, what was he supposed to do…

"Eek! Someone help me please!" A person shrieked in the near distance. It was followed by a loud series of barking.

A little ways down, Kirishima noticed a small dog had started to bark at a tree, but that wasn't what made him pause. It was the man clinging to the branches that made it an odd sight. The dog did a slight jump and the man cried.

"Someone please get that dog!"

Baffled, Kirishima jogged over to the scene and kissing his last meal goodbye, tossed his meat bun away. It worked like a charm; the dog quieted and leapt happily over to the offered treat, grabbed it, and then trotted away, content.

"Ah, what a relief." The strange man slid down the tree with a heaving sigh, even going so far as to wipe a tear. Kirishima eyed the odd man cautiously, but approached regardless.

"Are you alright?" Kirishima said and offered a hand. The man chuckled and smiled, his freckles crinkling.

"Yes, thank you for the rescue. I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of dogs." He took Kirishima's hand and allowed him to help him up. "I haven't come to this town for a long time so I'm afraid the locals don't recognize me… are you a local? Do you live nearby? It's not safe for one so young to be roaming out this late."

"Ah, I am a local but…" Kirishima attempted a grin. "Unfortunately, I don't have anywhere to live."

"Oh?" The stranger tilted his head, curly green hair rustling around his head. Then he sneezed loudly and shivered.

What a strange man, Kirishima thought but couldn't keep the chuckle from his lips. He retrieved the few coins he had from his pocket and smiled. "Can I treat you to something warm?"

~.~.~.~.~

"I see… so your father ran away from home." The man sipped at his cheap coffee. Though Kirishima was mourning the loss of his spare change, he was glad that some warmth seemed to be returning to the man's face. He didn't look so cold anymore.

They had relocated to Kirishima's bench and one way or another, he'd ended up spilling everything that had happened. He wasn't really one to burden strangers, but the man had seemed interested and he did feel a little better venting about it.

"You must hate him for running away right?" The man continued, hanging his head miserably and speaking through another bout of tears.

He cries a lot for an adult, Kirishima thought. But rather than saying that, he bashfully rubbed his head and chuckled awkwardly.

"Hate him? Nah… he was always troublesome for a long time, so…" He trailed off. His feelings on the matter were complicated at best.

"Listening to your story makes me ashamed to admit it, but I also ran away from my home a long time ago." The man tapped his coffee. "I wonder how everyone's doing. I'm sure Kacchan would attack me if I showed my face though…"

Kirishima blinked. Kacchan? Maybe a girlfriend or a wife…? He smiled absently all the same.

"I think… that it's still okay." Kirishima said, hesitating briefly. "Because that means you still have a home to return to. To have a home… is a blessing."

The man stared at him, green eyes glimmering thoughtfully. They were interesting eyes… the man himself seemed not that much older than Kirishima but his eyes previously innocent and weepy from tears now seemed to resonate with a deep wisdom and warmth.

"I mean - what I'm just saying is- I don't have a home right now." Kirishima said quickly, wondering if he'd been rude in saying that and hoping that he hadn't insulted the man. But instead of lashing out, the man smiled warmly and stood up.

"Then Kirishima… why don't you take _my_ home?"

...Huh?

"It's been so long now." The man said without missing a beat. "And it can't be empty forever. If you're there, I would feel much better about it too. Besides,"

Before Kirishima could properly react, the man's hands were holding his face, his forehead pressed gently against his own. It was only for a moment, but something warm seemed to stem from the touch.

"You deserve to be this home's master more than me." And then he was drawing away as Kirishima's brain kick-started. He was frozen, face nearly as bright as his hair. What was that? Then he realized something.

"Wait. How- how do you know my name? Who are you?" Kirishima said.

A rational part of his brain was yelling at him that he might have just come across some kind of weirdo stalker and that he should probably high-tail his butt out of there, but something deeper kept him rooted. Against his better judgement, he felt like he could trust this man. It almost felt like he knew him somehow. It was a feeling akin to trying to remember a dream right after waking up; but try as he might, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

The man smiled and pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket.

"Just follow the directions on this page. Tell them that Izuku sent you and I'm sure they'll welcome you as the new master."

...was what he'd said before walking away and vanishing into the night, leaving Kirishima alone once again. Now he found himself walking down a barely lit path away from town, and struggling to read the paper's directions in the dark.

This was crazy. To think he was actually going to this place, a totally random stranger's home. He was almost certain he'd never met an 'Izuku' before so the weird feeling must have just been a bad case of deja vu. For all he knew, he could be walking into some dangerous place, but it was too late now.

Besides, what exactly did he have to lose?

Ultimately, he had made the decision to at least check the place out. If at any point he felt unsafe, he would run away. If that turned out to be the case though, how surprised could he truly be?

His shoulders drooped.

He'd been thinking it a while, but maybe he just deserved all of this…

Lost in thought, he nearly tripped over the stone steps that appeared in front of him. And suddenly he found himself at the base of a rundown shrine. All the lights were extinguished and from what he could make out, the shrine's gate even appeared to be in a crumbling state.

In short, it appeared utterly abandoned.

The small page with Izuku's map fluttered to the ground as Kirishima fell to his knees in defeat.

"I was totally fooled… isn't this just like kicking someone when they're already down?" Kirishima's whines were muffled by the ground, but he didn't care. He just wanted to mope. He'd tried to keep it in mind that he could be deceived, but he had still found that his hopes were up. That Izuku guy had seemed so nice too… there really was no one to trust, huh?

"Master Izuku…?"

Kirishima's eyes flew open and the darkness burned red as he found himself surrounded by a hovering fire. It seemed to swirl towards him, flickering softly.

"Master Izuku, welcome home!" Said a voice from the fire.

Kirishima shrieked. In retrospect, it was probably not the most manly thing he's ever done.

"Ah, Master Izuku, please wait!" The fire seemed to call after him, but he had already dashed up the stone steps. He darted straight into the rotting shrine and slid the door closed with a crash behind him. His heart thundered in his chest.

"That fire… that fire was talking! Was it a ghost?" Kirishima muttered in horror. Where exactly had that guy sent him?

He was so distracted that he failed to notice a looming figure emerge from the shadows until it was just upon him. The air was illuminated with more bursts of fire, swirling around a lone man at the center of it all.

Red eyes glowed fiercely and Kirishima felt as if the eyes themselves could burn him. But that wasn't the only thing he noticed - in the swirling light, he was able to make out what appeared to be pointy ears atop the man's head and even the flick of a tail.

Something inhuman so...a _demon_?!

"DEKU YOU PIECE OF SHIT! WHERE HAS YOUR SHITTY ASS BEEN THE LAST TWENTY YEA-"

As if doused, the fire died and the demon shut up as he properly looked upon Kirishima's petrified form, hopelessly pressed against the peeling shrine doors.

"You're not Deku…who the fuck are you?"


	2. The God Meets an Asshole

"You're not Deku… who the _fuck_ are you?"

The man-demon's robes dragged behind him as he crowded Kirishima further against the wall. His hands were raised and sharp claws glinted in the dim light. His smile was manic, revealing white canines.

Blood rushed loudly in his ears, flushing everything out. Kirishima was absolutely certain he was about to be sliced to ribbons.

The demon reached for him and he shut his eyes, raising his arms in a last attempt of defence.

"Shitty Hair! Are you fucking deaf?"

Kirishima yelped as his arms were swatted away and taloned fingers clenched the front of his shirt. He was roughly dragged forward until he could only see the demon's eyes. They flickered as if on fire.

He found himself barely able to breathe let alone reply.

"Master Bakugou! Unhand Master Izuku at once!"

Warm light swept through the room as two small fires erupted in midair. With a sharp _pop_ the flames abruptly vanished in a puff of smoke and in their place two figures no bigger than children floated in place. Apart from the floating, their appearance was no less startling.

They were both clad in matching robes, lined with a shimmering fiery pattern. One was staring at him with golden eyes, the irises as black as coal. Tiny horns sprouted from the top of unruly hair, but the strangest part of it all was that the rest of her was a shocking pink. The other one was much more plain looking with his odd smile and dark shoulder length hair except for his bizarre cylinder-shaped elbows.

Tiny goblins? Kirishima thought, mind racing.

"Are you blind pinky? This isn't that shithead." Bakugou snarled, shaking Kirishima like a bag of potatoes. With a disgusted click of his tongue, Bakugou unceremoniously discarded Kirishima back to the ground.

The pink one stamped her leg despite hovering in the air. "How rude Master Bakugou! How long have you lived in our shrine? Call me Mina!"

"It must be Master Izuku." The other little goblin said and flew into Kirishima's face. He sharply knocked on his forehead. It tingled warmly. "See? He even carries the mark of the land god."

"Sero, that's rude!" Mina chided.

"What about my forehead? What mark?" Kirishima rubbed his forehead, affronted. Then the recent memory of the strange man touching his forehead came back to him. Is that what they were talking about?

Mina floated around him curiously. "But he's right… I sense some of Master Izuku's spirit within this boy. He also dropped this outside the gate." Kirishima recognized the small note he'd been carrying as Mina pulled it from her robe and handed it to Bakugou.

Bakugou snatched it and glanced it over with gritted teeth. Mina and Sero both hovered around him, catching a peek.

"This is definitely that good-for-nothing's dumb handwriting." Bakugou muttered. "Oi, Shitty Hair!"

Shitty hair? Kirishima suppressed a squeak as Bakugou slammed a hand over him, finding himself once again subjected to a livid glare.

"You best start talking before I fucking burn your ass to kingdom come."

~.~.~.~.~

Kirishima was a little afraid that Izuku's note would burst into flames if Bakugou continued staring at it any longer. It seemed as if he only had one expression as it seemed to be fixed into a glare. It barely flickered as Kirishima explained how he'd ended up here.

All Kirishima had really been able to garner so far was that this person's name was Bakugou and he lived in the shrine along with the two sprites Mina and Sero who were, in fact, not goblins. He'd earned another forehead bop from Mina for that one. After his goblin comment, the word 'dog' had been nearly out of his mouth to Bakugou when Mina and Sero both managed to stuff their hands over his mouth, shaking their heads in alarm and laughing shrilly.

Now that he'd found himself in a moment where he didn't feel like his life was in immediate danger anymore, he found himself thoroughly examining the demon Bakugou. A long billowing tail twitched across the ground, soft-looking ears flicking atop a head of sandy hair. An intricate yukata hung loosely around his frame, with fire-like patterns licking up the sides. Without his fangs bared, he was… ethereal.

Kirishima felt his breath hitch when red eyes flickered up to meet his once again.

In the light of the flames, he could have been an angel from hell.

"So you're saying that Deku told you to come here after he gave his house to you?" Bakugou said.

"Er, yes. After I told him that I couldn't go home…" Kirishima said.

Nothing that had happened to him in the last hour seemed like it could be real. Before, he hadn't even been sure demons and spirits were real but here they were right before his eyes. And surprisingly foul-mouthed. Or at least Bakugou was.

He had already tried pinching himself. Multiple times. So many times, that his skin was starting to turn pink and ache.

This was really happening.

Bakugou crumpled the paper. "Obviously what your puny brain doesn't seem to realize, is that that piece of shit you met was the god of this shrine."

Kirishima snorted.

"Are you sure?" Kirishima said, crossing his arms and thinking back. "But that guy was so weird! Just...are you really sure?" The image of the man's continuous crying kept popping into his head.

Bakugou tapped his foot in increasing irritation. "Of fucking course I'm fucking sure. And this is the shrine where he lives." He stabbed a finger into his face. "To have named you master of this house… is the same thing as being given the status as the land god."

"What?" Kirishima said, face blanking.

Excited clapping and cheering filled the air as Mina and Sero materialized in a burst of confetti by his head that seemed to shoot from Sero's strange cylinder elbows.

"Yes, it's true. At long last, the land god has returned!" Mina squealed excitedly, nuzzling Kirishima affectionately. "What a happy day!"

"We need to hurry and prepare a feast in celebration of Master Kirishima!" Sero said, his elbows bursting out more flurries of colored paper in his excitement.

"Hang on," Kirishima said, "Master? I-"

"Please take this, Master Kirishima!" A platter of fish had appeared out of thin air and the sprites were hastily pressing it into his hands. Despite the circumstances, Kirishima's stomach growled loudly after one look. His last proper meal had been this morning and it actually looked really good. Maybe one bite…

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

The sprites were shoved out of the way with a cry of protest. Kirishima's chin was abruptly grabbed and pulled forward, forcing him to look up. The fires of hell seemed to stare back.

"This pathetic mortal boy, the land god? What the fuck can he even do? Count the offerings? Clean the shrine, _maybe_? Don't make me laugh. Throw this shit out already!"

"But Kacchan!" Mina began to whine and skillfully dodged a fiery projectile. "He's the one who was chosen by Master Izuku!"

"Don't fucking call me that!" Bakugou said.

"Hey! Hands off already!" Kirishima shoved the offending hand away. He was getting tired of getting handled like some piece of trash by this guy. "Who do you think you are to throw me out? And what offerings? This shrine is completely run-down and abandoned! If anything, I should be the one to say I don't want to stay here!"

For a moment, Kirishima was sure he was about to become nothing but a smoldering pile of ash when he remembered who exactly he was yelling at but it was as if Bakugou had frozen over. He just stared. The moment stretched long enough for Kirishima to become unsteady in his sudden proclamation when something fleeting flashed in the demon's eyes. It was so quick that Kirishima couldn't quite identify what it had been.

"Master Kirishima, please don't say something like that!" Sero said, clinging to his sleeve.

"Yes, it's been so long since there has been a god here. We're very happy to have you here!" Mina said.

"Then in that case…" Kirishima's blood chilled at the guttural tone of Bakugou's voice. A thick blackness seeped up through the floorboards and smoke began to waft around, slowly curling around his figure. "If you're going to keep this fucker around, then I'm out of here."

The sprites gasped in horror and tried to barrel forward, but were swept away with a single swipe of Bakugou's claws.

"I'm that useless Deku's familiar." Bakugou said bitingly. "I refuse to serve this Shitty Hair. Go find some stray dogs or something instead. They'd be more suitable." The black fog had almost swallowed him whole now. Kirishima leapt up in alarm, realizing what was happening too late.

"Hey, what- wait a second!" Kirishima lunged forward, reaching but his fingers curled around nothing but air as both Bakugou and the black fog vanished, the last thing Kirishima seeing was him flicking him off.

~.~.~.~.~

Kirishima woke up serenely, the gentle rays of sun falling on his face. He sat up, stretching out the kinks in his back.

"What a strange dream…" He muttered mid-yawn.

His slice of peace was shattered with a crash as Mina and Sero threw open the sliding door.

"Good morning Master Kirishima!" Mina said.

"We've prepared your breakfast." Sero said, presenting a platter.

Kirishima nearly somersaulted backwards in his panic, heart jumping into his mouth, but the sprites didn't seem to notice.

"Then after breakfast, it's time for work!"

"Work?" Kirishima echoed and in a flash, he found himself sweeping the yard half an hour later.

He was finally able to shake from his daze. He'd ended up staying the night since he had had nowhere else to go and without that Bakugou guy, it had been quaint enough despite the damp floor and creaking walls. Beggars couldn't be choosers.

Mina and Sero directed him across the grounds.

"First we shall purify the yard to keep away evil spirits! We can clean the leaves and then-"

"Hold on," Kirishima said weakly. "You know, this is all still kind of hard to believe. I'm not seriously the land god, right? I haven't agreed to it or anything."

"Huh?" Sero said. "What do you mean? You can't leave!"

"Since Master Bakugou left, you're the only one to protect the shrine now!" Mina said.

The sprites simultaneously wailed and threw themselves at his feet, sniffling wetly.

"Alright, alright! I get it." Kirishima said in alarm. They instantly perked up.

"Excellent! We're the loyal sprites of this shrine, so please tell us to do anything you want!"

He would have liked if they'd help him clean, but as he continued sweeping the yard something continued to bother him.

"So... who exactly was that demon guy yesterday? You called him Bakugou, but also Kacchan?" Izuku had mentioned the name yesterday and he remembered thinking how he thought Kacchan was some wife. As if that hostile guy could be liked that way by anyone. Only knowing him within the space of hours and he had already threatened to kill him multiple times.

"Oh, Master Bakugou?" Mina said. "Kacchan is just a nickname he's been called for a long time, though it annoys him. He used to be a wild fox but was taken in as Master Izuku's familiar a long time ago rather than the typical stone guardian lion-dogs. He has served him ever since."

"Master Izuku really dislikes dogs you see." Sero said.

That explained a lot, Kirishima thought.

"Then twenty years ago, Master Izuku disappeared and hasn't returned since. Master Bakugou was livid. He's always been rude and grouchy, but the last twenty years has only worsened his moods." Sero sighed.

"But now the land god has returned and it's time to perform your duties! We must continue to clean." The sprites clapped their hands. "Next we will clean the main hall."

Kirishima groaned, sagging. It was hard to believe that this was seriously a god's job. But he couldn't complain. If this is all they were asking him to do, he could do this much for them for letting him stay the night and feeding him.

"Then at least for today, I'll do my best!" Kirishima resolved, rolling up his sleeves. That was the manliest thing to do after all. An hour later, the hall was sparkling and he was directed outside again to pluck the grass.

It wasn't even noon and he could tell he was going to be quite sore tomorrow. His fingers were even getting cramped from the scrubbing and now the repetitive plucking. Bakugou had said something about being unable to even clean the shrine and at the moment, Kirishima had been determined to prove him wrong. But doing it was a different story. It was surprisingly intense labor.

Taking a break, Kirishima rested on his haunches, wiping sweat from his brow and taking a moment to admire the day. Despite what he'd said, the shrine really didn't look _that_ bad. It had seemed creepier and worse at night without any lights. It may have been empty and seemed forgotten, but it was fairly nice in the daylight despite it being without a god for the last twenty years.

"What the hell? You're actually trying to perform godly duties, Shitty Hair?" A warm wave of heat rolled across the grounds when the fox demon appeared in a burst of flames. Another set of intricate robing flowed around him. He smirked rudely.

"What do you want?" Kirishima grimaced, not in the mood for whatever this jerk was about to say.

"Oi, Shitty Hair, you missed a spot." Bakugou pointed at a large patch of grass he hadn't reached yet. "It's noon and you haven't even finished the grass yet? You really are useless."

"I just haven't got there yet!" Kirishima said, ears burning. "And stop calling me Shitty Hair. My hair's cool. And I have a name, so use it!"

Bakugou barked a laugh. "You're obviously not fit to be a god. So just give up and call it quits already. Go back home before you have to be humiliated anymore."

"It's not like I wouldn't if I could." Facing away, Kirishima was unable to see Bakugou's smirk drop.

He pulled another blade of grass. "My house got confiscated. I have nowhere to go back to."

Bakugou watched Kirishima pluck the blades for a few moments longer before shoving him over with his foot.

"Hey what's your problem?" Kirishima snapped, whirling around, but Bakugou had already disappeared again. That guy had seriously come back just to mock him? Then a dissonant voice seemed to float on the wind.

 _If you fucking touch my stuff, I'll kill you._

Kirishima threw a fistful of grass in the air. That guy was actually the worst.

A couple of hours later, Kirishima flopped on his belly, unable to lift another finger. He must have been really out of shape. All he'd done were chores! How could he be _this_ exhausted?

 _God…_

Kirishima sat up. There was a voice just now, he was sure. His head swiveled until he spotted a woman kneeling through the screen doors. He watched as she clapped her hands, smiling softly with closed eyes.

 _God please bless my family and their good health._

That had definitely been the woman's voice. Kirishima leaned against the door, watching her hobble away.

"Mina, Sero… I didn't just make that up now right? I was listening to that woman's thoughts."

Mina appeared beside him, smiling. "You weren't making it up. That was the voice of that woman's heart. Listening to the prayers of people who offer money to shrine is also your job."

So this temple actually got money after all? Kirishima didn't notice Sero had appeared over him until an enormous stack of notebooks was dumped over him. He fell over under the sudden weight, gasping as he shoved them away.

"Master Kirishima, these are twenty years worth of prayers from people who have offered money."

Kirishima flew up, gaping at the stack. "Twenty years?"

The sprites nodded. "Yes. Master Bakugou left these. We would have had Master Izuku look these over, but since he wasn't here the number of people who visit the shrine has decreased..." They wilted. "But Master Bakugou has faithfully been tending to the shrine all this time so sometimes people still come. Truthfully, all the work you've done today has been done by Master Bakugou until now."

Kirishima was stunned. All that work alone… for twenty years?

Curious, he gently flipped through one of the prayer books. The script was beautiful and as he scoured over the entries even the prayers were written carefully. They were so detailed and must have taken a long time to write down. It was hard to picture, but Kirishima could suddenly see Bakugou in his mind, probably glaring then too, but endlessly pouring over the worshipper's prayers with such care.

It felt like his heart had started to pump oil. It flowed slow and heavily from his heart. He'd called the shrine abandoned and run down so heartlessly. To take care of this place so diligently for twenty years, Bakugou must have truly treasured this place only for him, a complete nobody and stranger, to come and kick him out.

"Now that it's clear, you see why actually need Master Bakugou as your familiar?" Mina said.

"Yes, let's go get him now!" Sero said.

"Mina, Sero… if it's okay, can I stay for one more night?" Kirishima clutched the book of prayers tightly to his chest. "I can't be the god of this shrine. Because really, I'm just a normal guy without any power. I'm really sorry."

He left the room before the sprites could recover from their shock.

In his eagerness to have a home, he'd accidentally chased out another who called it home.

He'd called Bakugou the worst earlier, but _he_ had been the awful one after all.

Bakugou may not have been… the most hospitable, but after tonight, he would seek him out and properly apologize and explain that he'd be leaving. Kirishima would make do somehow after that.

Only, the question now was where had he gone off to?

~.~.~.~.~

"Ah Bakugou! We finally found you."

"Who the fuck's asking?" Bakugou said, slamming down his empty glass on the bar. The bartender didn't flinch and continued to polish the glasses behind the counter, each of his six arms handling a different task as he coolly served Bakugou another refill. He was far used to Bakugou's antics. Today, Bakugou had been a little too indulgent, but he didn't feel like getting into it.

Two demons had come into the bar, some lowly scum that Bakugou didn't recognize. He was infamous in the underworld so being called out by some no-names wasn't anything new, but he was everything but in the mood to indulge in whatever the fuck they wanted. One of the two, a green leathery goblin blinked a huge eye at him.

"For a god's familiar to be here… the news must be true. Isn't there a new land god at your shrine?"

Bakugou knocked back his drink. "Fuck off."

"The air has turned sweet around the shrine. There's a human, isn't there? Young, fresh." The one-eyed goblin was beginning to drool. "We can eat it, right?"

Bakugou paused, side-eyeing the demons. His stool scraped noisily across the wood floor as he shoved himself up, putting down his glass. The bartender sighed, sweeping up the scattered glasses on the bar and backing away.

"I don't give a fuck of what happens to that Shitty Hair." Bakugou said.

The goblin began to grin, but in a flash a hand had darted out and grabbed his face. The goblin wasn't able to scream as he pawed at the hand furtively. Bakugou's foul look darkened, claws digging into the demon's flesh.

"But I seem to recall telling you to _fuck. Off._ " In a blast of light and smoke, the goblin crashed to the ground, face charred beyond recognition. His friend squealed and bolted before Bakugou could even look at him. He didn't care.

The bartender sighed, extending one his arms. A mouth split open and spoke. "I would really appreciate it if you'd stop exploding demons in my bar."

"Shut the hell up, octopus." Bakugou said.

"It's Shoji."

Bakugou flipped him off over his shoulder, directing the corpse out the bar with several well aimed kicks.

Tucked into shadows at the end of the bar, a long figure sipped at a drink thoughtfully. "Bakugou's serving a new human land god, huh? Interesting…"


	3. The God Gets an Asshole as His Familiar

"Please Master Kirishima! Don't abandon the shrine!" Mina cried, clinging onto his left leg. Sero had dispensed some tape-like substance to wrap around his other one and had dug his heels into the ground. Even though they were supposed to be spirits, they still somehow were able to make it really hard to walk.

"Look guys, I'm really sorry." Kirishima grunted, fighting to take a step. "But I really can't stay here."

"But why not?" They wailed.

Kirishima sighed. This had been non-stop all morning, but he had made up his mind. He couldn't stay here knowing he had kicked Bakugou out in the process. He felt bad, especially with Mina and Sero's snot rubbing into his pants, but there was nothing to be done except make it right.

"You don't understand Master Kirishima!" Sero said.

"Guys, please stop calling me Master."

"Will it make you stay?" Mina asked. Kirishima peered down to see two pairs of puppy-dog eyes blinking up at him.

"No." He said.

" _Master Kirishima!"_ They said. "You can't leave the shrine. With Master Bakugou gone, there will be no one to tend to it."

"About that," Kirishima paused. "I haven't seen him since yesterday. Do you know where he went? I need to talk to him."

"You do?" Mina sniffled, loosening her hold on his leg.

"Yes, but _only_ to clear some things up." Kirishima said even though he could see the hope glittering in their eyes.

"I'll go get him!" Sero announced, releasing his hold. He zoomed off, but before he could disappear Kirishima snagged one of the flailing pieces of tape to stop him.

"Hold on!" Kirishima reeled him back in like a kite. He could see Sero pouting at the end of the line. "I wanted to talk to him and… apologize. So, I don't feel like it'd be a good start to make him come here. Can you take me to him instead?"

Sero and Mina exchanged a worried look. Mina poked her fingers in a nervous fidget. "Okay… but Master Bakugou is probably _there_ right now."

"Where?" Kirishima said.

"That place… the underworld." Sero shook his head. "It's a dark place where demons and creatures alike roam free. The place between this world and the next."

"It's a dangerous place for humans." Mina said.

Their tone made Kirishima uneasy and the name of the place didn't sound exactly welcoming. "Well… we won't be there for long. After I talk to Bakugou, we can leave. Is that ok?"

Sero pulled Mina aside and whispered in her ear. Kirishima raised a brow at that, but after a few moments of deliberation a determined look set across their faces and they nodded to each other.

"Ok, Master Kirishima." Sero said.

"We'll lead your way through." Mina said and the sprites floated towards the forest, beckoning him forward.

Only hesitating a moment, Kirishima bound after them. He had to push aside stray branches in his path as the sprites floated through them; he couldn't see far ahead through the foliage but they only continued to beckon him forward. Before he'd noticed, he started blinking, struggling to see. Everything had become dim, as if some color had drained away from the world. Where had the sun gone? They hadn't been walking that long, he was sure.

When Kirishima looked up, there was no sun in sight. Instead, the sky was completely dark. There weren't even stars. Only a silver moon rested in the sky, it's light like a puncture in the void.

"Mina, Sero," Kirishima said nervously, pulse quickening.

"It's alright Master Kirishima." Mina said and Kirishima saw that she had somehow acquired a small hanging lantern. Its dim glow was comforting. "As long as we stay together, we should be fine."

Sero nodded, "It's important not to stray or else it's easy to get lost. Now, let's go. Master Bakugou isn't far from here."

Time must have worked different here because Kirishima couldn't tell how long it was before the darkness melted away and the three of them were standing just outside some kind of pub. Kirishima blinked in a daze.

Mina patted his back. "Sometimes humans accidentally wander here by mistake and get lost. This is the first time you've traveled into the between. You'll feel better in a minute."

Taking a moment to calm himself, Kirishima breathed and looked around. They'd appeared in some kind of old-fashioned town. There weren't many people in the streets, but then he remembered what the sprites had said: this was the underworld, where _demons_ roamed. He probably wouldn't be finding many people down here.

But was Bakugou here?

While he'd been recovering, the sprites had flown straight into the pub. Kirishima shook his head clear but just as he was about to go in he found himself unable to move forward. Why was he hesitating now? He'd just come to talk and apologize. There was nothing strange about that. But he couldn't help but think of the day before when Bakugou had mocked him while plucking the grass.

There was a loud crash from inside.

"Master Bakugou!" Mina said.

"Shut up!" Kirishima jolted. Bakugou was unmistakable. "You guys are way too loud."

"You're the loud one." muttered another voice that Kirishima didn't recognize. With a growl, Bakugou told the voice to shut up as well.

"Master Bakugou!" The sprites wailed. "You're a god's familiar and yet you're spending your time in this kind of place, getting drunk in the _morning_. Master Izuku would be so unhappy."

"It's not like Deku's here." Bakugou retorted. He paused. "Give me another Shoji. And because that idiot's not here, I can do whatever the hell I want so leave already."

"This is unacceptable!" Sero said. "Master Bakugou, you need to return to the shrine right now! Kirishima is about to leave so you need to properly become his familiar!"

"Yes!" Mina echoed. "Don't you care if the shrine breaks down?"

This was Kirishima's cue if ever. It was now or never. His fingers were on the door, about to pull it open-

"I don't give a fuck about the shrine."

Ice pumped through Kirishima's veins, freezing him on the spot.

"My job there is over, so I don't give two shits about that place anymore." Bakugou said. "And about fucking time too. I'm finally free of being a familiar; I can do whatever pleases me, whenever I want. I can drink all fucking day if I want to because I _can._ "

"Master Bakugou, you don't mean that!" The sprites cried. "Also, Master Kirishima-"

"What, that Shitty Hair?"

"Master Kirishima has come to talk to you."

The pub door slid open but Kirishima didn't move forward. His hand gripped the frame so tightly, his fingers were turning white.

Bakugou had whipped around; his eyes were wide, shocked. The sprites were looking at him over their shoulders from their kneeling positions and Kirishima even noticed several other demons in his periphery, but his vision tunneled on Bakugou alone.

"Master Kirishima!" Mina said. "Please talk to him. Say something!"

"Nothing." Kirishima said, glaring darkly. "I have _nothing_ to say to this guy."

"What the FUCK?" Bakugou whirled on the sprites. "Why the fuck did you bring him here?"

"He said he needed to talk to you." Sero said.

"Well hurry up and _take him back!_ Who in their right minds would bring a human here?"

"But Master Kirishima isn't a normal human. He's a land god."

"That makes it fucking _worse!_ "

Kirishima took a step back, his eyes frigid. "Excuse me." And without hesitation, he slid the door shut and took off down the street, Mina and Sero's calls barely registering.

That complete asshole. He must have been the rudest guy he'd ever met; first, he made such a big deal about him and then there were the prayer books, and yet- yet… Kirishima's brisk pace slowed and his chest ached, the words echoing in his head. He trembled.

 _I don't give a fuck about the shrine._

Yet he had to say something like that…

"Hey, Shitty Hair!"

Kirishima's arm was grabbed and he was quickly yanked into an adjacent alley from the street. Grumbling, he glared at Bakugou who glowered back.

"You need to leave this place. Demons here wouldn't think twice about devouring you." Bakugou grabbed his arm again. "Come on Shitty Hair, I'll take you back."

He ripped his arm away. When Bakugou turned as if to mouth off again, a resounding _smack_ echoed through the alley. Once again, Kirishima had managed to shock Bakugou into silence. He touched his cheek in disbelief.

Kirishima's hand stung. " _You're_ the one who needs to go back. How could you just say that _?_ Isn't the shrine your home? Go back already!"

Bakugou's hand slid away and suddenly fire was burning in his palms. "What the fuck did you say to me Shitty Hair? A damn human as weak and pathetic like you, telling _me_ -" He was so livid, he sputtered. "You fucking dare act so high and mighty?"

"You're the high and mighty one!" Kirishima spit back, ignoring the fire. "And it's _Kirishima_!"

"If I leave, you'll be monster chow in no time. I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation, _Shitty Hair_. You're a powerless human with a land god's power. You won't last five minutes by yourself."

"I won't last another five minutes around _you_."

"Fine! Go get eaten for all I care. I don't give a flying fuck!"

"Um…" Mina and Sero had quietly appeared around the corner and were cautiously spying on them.

"What?" Kirishima and Bakugou shouted.

Sero squeaked and Mina started to sweat. "Shouldn't we head back to the shrine soon? Have you finished talking?"

Kirishima exchanged a long dirty look with Bakugou. They turned away from each other.

"Take him already. I don't give a fuck about what happens to him."

"Mina, Sero, let's go already. I am _done_ talking."

And without looking back, Kirishima walked away. Unsure, the sprites immediately floated after him.

"Master Kirishima, shouldn't you try talking to Master Bakugou again?" Mina pleaded.

"I'm done trying to talk to that guy. I don't care anymore." Kirishima stubbornly continued to walk through the darkness. The town was quickly being left behind.

"Come on, Master Kirishima. Master Bakugou really isn't so bad! He's all bark and no bite." Mina said and paused. "Well, maybe some bite…"

"If you can't talk to him, you just need to make him your familiar!" Sero said.

Kirishima abruptly turned, startling the sprites back. "And _why_ do I have to do that?" He was already sick of the guy. He was almost sure he never wanted to see him again.

"Because," Mina floated over to his side. "If you make Master Bakugou your familiar, he has to absolutely obey you!"

Kirishima halted mid-step.

A beat passed.

He coolly turned towards the sprites, steepling his hands.

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"Exactly as we say." Sero said. "He would have to obey your every command. It's one of your powers as the land god."

"Oh, is that so? I see." A slow chuckle worked its way up Kirishima's throat. That sounded absolutely… _delightful._ "And how, may I ask, do I make him my familiar?"

The sprites perked up, smiling brightly. "Oh that's easy! To make him your familiar, all you have to do is kiss him!"

… huh?

"By kissing him, you'd seal a contract with him and he'd become your faithful servant! Afterwards, there's nothing you can't make him do! Huh? Master Kirishima?" Swept up in the explanation, the sprites had failed to notice Kirishima's mad dash into the trees.

He charged ahead, heart pounding furiously. What the hell were they saying? What would they have him do?! He really needed to just leave already and get away from all this. He was just a normal human after all. He never should have come here.

"I'm pretty sure this was the way we came through…" He muttered to himself, picking his way through a patch of leaves. It was hard to tell though without the lantern to light the path. The underworld moon was still shining in the sky as well.

He emerged into a clearing, dark trees circling it from all sides. He sighed. Maybe the way hadn't been so straightforward as he thought.

"Oh? What's this?" A tinny giggle flittered through the trees.

Kirishima went stiff, spinning around to search for the origin when he spotted a pair of glimmering eyes shining through the brush.

And then he knew he was in deep trouble.

~.~.~.~.~

"Master Bakugou!" Sero tumbled back into the bar just as Bakugou was resituating himself. "Master Bakugou, help! Master Kirishima _disappeared!_ "

"Wow, that was fast." Bakugou said, picking at his food. "Hey Shoji, can I get this spicier?"

Shoji sighed behind the counter. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Because I'm fucking charming."

"Master Bakugou please!" Sero tugged on his robes insistently. "Mina's already looking for him, but if we don't find him soon he could be in danger!"

"Serves Shitty Hair right." Bakugou sipped at his drink, but despite his cool demeanor his leg had yet to cease tapping the ground. He just couldn't shake what had happened earlier… the way that guy had _dared_ looking at him. As if he were someone to be looked down upon.

He tapped his cheek. It didn't hurt and it wasn't red, but Bakugou could still feel the slap so clearly. He had wanted to turn that guy into a pile of ashes right then and there, but-

 _You're the one who needs to go back!_

"Master Bakugou!"

Bakugou plucked a toothpick from a small bowl and started cleaning his teeth. "Ok fine. How about this?" He flashed a wicked smile. "If Shitty Hair begs for my forgiveness and admits how he was wrong and I was right, then," The toothpick snapped. "I'll go save him."

~.~.~.~.~

 _Shit. Shit. Shit. SHIT._

… was all he was able to think as he flew at top speed through the forest, the strange demon not far behind him. He didn't dare look back, but he could still see the insane smile when she'd first leapt from the bushes.

"Wait for me, land god! I'm coming!" She giggled loudly, blonde hair bobbing in excitement. "You'll get tired soon, and Toga wants to _eat_." She nearly growled out the last word and Kirishima could hear the hunger in her voice which nearly made his legs give out in fear. But he refused, and continued leaping through branches and over roots. One bad trip and he was a goner.

Ducking under one branch, he steeled himself and paused for the briefest moment and yanked the branch backwards. Just as Toga reached him, eyes wild and sharp fangs flashing, Kirishima released the branch. It worked like a charm, whapping her in the face and sending her backwards with a loud squeal. He bolted off again, her whines floating after him.

"That was dirty! But I love it when they put up a fight."

Great, he'd just managed to whet her appetite.

"Master Kirishima!"

Kirishima nearly tripped right then and there, but managed to continue running as Mina appeared next to him.

"Mina! Oh thank god, you found me! Some crazy demon is trying to kill me!"

"Yes I know! Don't stop running Master Kirishima!" Mina's eyes were panicked and she gripped her head. "You've found a vampire! If it gets you, she'll devour you for sure!"

"Then help me get out of here!" Kirishima said.

"But I can't because I'm only a sprite! These could help though!"

Mina juggled some small slips of paper into his hands and an ink brush into his hand. He almost dropped them but managed to hang on to them even as they ran.

"What are these?"

"They're some of Izuku's charms. Another one of your powers as land god are being able to stick them to any object and will become what you write on them. That brush is special too, so you don't need normal ink! Please Master Kirishima, do something!"

"Anything I write?" Kirishima said frantically and scribbled something down. "Ok, try this!" He slapped the charm onto Mina's face.

Only, nothing happened. Mina pulled the charm from her face and flipped it over, squealing, aghast.

"A bull?" She shouted, fuming.

"It's because I was looking at your horns!" Kirishima said helplessly. "It's the first thing that popped into my mind!"

"There's nothing wrong with my horns!" She muttered. "Master Kirishima, the power of the charms can't surpass your own power."

Kirishima gulped and glanced at the remaining charms. Only two left.

"Mina, where's the exit to this place?"

She pointed straight up.

"The moon?!"

"It's the _under_ -world!" She said. "It's easy to descend, but going back is a different story. You need Master Bakugou's help!"

A pain like a thousand needles pierced his calf and Kirishima stumbled with a cry. Figures he'd get a cramp right now. It's not like he'd time to warm up to sprint through some evil forest.

He struggled to his feet, toughing through the pain and ignoring the tight burn. On a whim, he scribbled his own name onto a charm and stuck it on a passing tree. If that even worked, it wouldn't buy him much time but now that he'd been reduced to a half-run, half-hobble he had to take every second he could get.

"Master Kirishima, down here!" Mina tugged his sleeve sharply, yanking him away from the trail. They slid straight into the brush, pressing themselves low into the ground. Moments later, Toga's giggles rang through the trees and they watched a pair of feet thunder past.

"Aw, where'd you go? That was a mean trick land god!"

They waited a few moments until the sound of her running drifted away. Mina stared hard at him.

"Please Master Kirishima, summon Master Bakugou! If you call him, he can save you!"

"But I," Kirishima shook his head. His stomach churned sourly. "There's no way he would come save me after that fight."

"Then call him and make him your familiar! That way he _has_ to save you!"

Kirishima flushed brightly. If he did that, that would mean he would have to…

"No, you can't make me!"

"Found you." Toga grinned, standing over them. He hadn't even noticed her.

Kirishima clenched the final charm tightly.

 _Bakugou…_

~.~.~.~.~

Bakugou belched, content. For the past hour, Sero had ceased to stop sniveling at his feet. Again he attempted to shake him off.

"Master Bakugou please!" Sero wrapped more pieces of tape around his leg, holding on despite the intense shaking. "We need to find Master Kirishima!"

"Look little runt, I already fucking told you: I want nothing to do with-"

The air glowed warmly and in a flash of light, a white slip of paper came fluttering from overhead. Instinctively, Bakugou thrust a hand out to collect it when a faraway voice floated in the air.

 _Help me… Bakugou…_

The paper dissolved as it reached his hand. Bakugou gazed silently at the spot it had appeared from.

"Wait… wasn't that-"

"One of Deku's charms." Bakugou finished. "Seems like Shitty Hair really is in big trouble... Maybe I'll go to him after all."

Sero detached himself, relieved. "So, you're going to go help him?"

Bakugou grinned. "I didn't say that."

~.~.~.~.~

It must have taken minutes to find Kirishima. Being the only human in the underworld, it was hard to mistake his scent and he had a very distinct one as it was. Sero pointed, holding desperately onto the back of his robes.

"Master Bakugou, there they are!"

He hadn't needed to see them to no where they were. Their screams were loud enough. Mina was directing Kirishima up a tree, but it seemed slow going though they were high up. A little behind, Bakugou noticed a figure climbing after him.

A vampire? That was particularly unlucky.

Blasting his way down to the tree, he settled easily on the branches. Kirishima was still several feet below.

"Oi, Shitty Hair."

Gasping, Kirishima paused in his ascent and snapped his head up. "Bakugou? You got the charm!"

Bakugou smiled. "I heard you got into trouble, so I came as fast as I could."

Kirishima couldn't believe his ears. Bakugou had actually come! He was saved. Excitedly he reached for him.

"Hey no fair!" Toga screamed from below. "You're that fox familiar, Bakugou. I've basically caught this prey already."

"By all means, don't let me get in your way." Bakugou said. "Pretend I'm not here."

Kirishima stared.

"Master Bakugou!" the sprites yelled in panic. "What are you saying? Hurry up and help Master Kirishima!"

"No fucking way." Bakugou swung his feet over the branch, getting comfortable. "I just came to watch."

"Really?" Toga said. "Then don't mind if I do!"

Kirishima felt a hand grab hold of his ankle. Desperately, he kicked and tried hoisting himself up another branch. Bakugou appeared before him and he was smiling like he was having the best time in the world. Kirishima felt like a heating kettle; as the seconds ticked, the anger only continued to bubble up.

"Hey Shitty Hair, need me to save you?" Bakugou asked, almost giddy. "You need help don't you? I could do it you know. All you need to do is _beg._ Beg me to save you and say you were wrong about everything before and you're really a pathetic human. Then I'll _consider_ it."

Kirishima seethed, struggling to hold on to the branch. "Who the hell… would _beg!_ " There was a vicious tug on his leg and with a sharp gasp, Kirishima nearly let go. He cried out when a brutal, jerking pain shot through his shoulder when he found himself hanging onto the branch by a single hand.

Bakugou flinched and his arm darted forward, reaching for his hand.

"Just beg, Master Kirishima!" Sero cried. Bakugou halted, drawing his arm back.

"Yes, if you just say sorry and say you're pathetic than he'll save you! Right Master Bakugou?" Mina added helpfully.

"Huh? I mean- fuck- yeah. Just say it and I'll save him." Bakugou said, stiffly staring at Kirishima.

"Come on Master Kirishima! Just say it!"

Even with his screaming shoulder, Kirishima grit his teeth. "No."

"Master Kirishima!"

"I said no!" Kirishima eyed Bakugou with an immovable resolve. "To a guy like this, I would _never_ -" And in that moment, Kirishima grabbed the front of Bakugou's robe and yanked, letting go of the branch.

Kirishima clung onto him as they sailed down, faster, _faster_. Over the speeding winds, Bakugou yelled at him.

"What the _fuck_! Are you so fucking stubborn that you'd die for your pride? Just say one word! Let go!"

"Shut the hell up! You're the one who was just watching me!"

"If you don't say anything, you'll die in a few seconds!" Bakugou said. "If you're going to apologize, you better do it now before-"

 _To make him your familiar…_

With the last of his strength, Kirishima yanked Bakugou forward and gently grabbed a fistful of sandy hair. Closing his eyes, he planted his lips firmly on Bakugou's, who had gone still with shock.

Absently, he couldn't help but notice that Bakugou was softer than he expected.

His eyes snapped open and he stared unflinchingly into Bakugou's wide and burning red eyes.

"Bakugou, save me!" He commanded.

A ring of light flared around them. And then Kirishima could feel… a connection. It was like a thread connected to his heart had been sharply tugged up because it had found itself another end. It was energetic, warm, and _alive._

From above, Mina and Sero had collapsed over each other.

"Master Kirishima!" They cried with relief. "With this, you've become a proper land god at last."

Kirishima's feet gently touched the ground, a warm arm around his waist. He hadn't even realized Bakugou had grabbed onto him. Heart thrumming wildly from adrenaline, Kirishima stared at Bakugou in a daze but froze when Bakugou only glared viciously back. Instead of throwing him off like he expected, Bakugou only let him go and turned towards the tree.

In an instant, the tree was being turned to ash in an explosion of fire. "Hey vampire bastard, get the FUCK DOWN HERE!"

Toga squeaked, desperately leaping out of the way of Bakugou's fists of fire.

"It's your fucking fault I've become a familiar again! I finally got to do whatever the fuck I wanted!"

Kirishima barely noticed Mina and Sero floating down to join him and they watched the spectacle in some degree of twisted amusement.

"Um… isn't that enough?" Kirishima said hesitantly.

Bakugou continued his crazy tyrade, as if he didn't hear him. " _I_ have to be _this Shitty Hair's_ familiar!? What the FUCK!"

Kirishima's knees abruptly went out and he breathed deeply, trying to calm down. His legs were trembling.

"Master Kirishima, are you alright? Did you get hurt?" Mina crouched by him in concern.

"I'm fine." Kirishima said, and it was at least a half-truth. He touched his chest, the shadow of the tugging sensation still tingling. He felt strangely… light. "I just need to catch my breath. Hey Bakugou,"

"WHAT?" Bakugou whirled on him, but the fire finally calmed down. Toga was no where in sight, properly chased off.

"Guess we're kind of stuck together now. Sorry… but thanks." Kirishima cracked an unsure smile.

Bakugou's face crinkled into a frown, but he just looked away.

"Let's go home Master Kirishima!" Sero sighed happily. "With Master Bakugou here, we can return no problem. Everything is as it should be."

"Shut the hell up shrimp!" Bakugou said, but only crossed his arms and looked away with a pout.

Kirishima could only chuckle lightly and raised himself on wobbly legs. "Yeah, alright. Let's go home..."

Guess he might be sticking around a little longer than planned after all.


	4. The God Sets Up the Frog Goddess, Part I

Kirishima didn't know where he was. One second he was walking through that creepy underworld forest and the next he was waking up in bed. He faintly remembered falling asleep almost immediately on arrival because of how drained he felt so he should've been at the shrine, but he was almost positive that no room like this existed.

It almost seemed… to sparkle. It was peaceful, the light twittering of birds singing to the morning sun. There was a simple chest of drawers, a changing screen, and some small tables placed neatly around the room. The walls and floors were solid and clean. There was even a nice scent in the air as he noticed some incense burning in the corner.

Clearly, he must have teleported to another dimension.

"Mina? Sero?" Kirishima crawled over to the door, peaking out. The floors outside had also been cleaned and the once peeling paper doors now looked brand new. There was no leaking roof or damp wood in sight. The shrine had been completely flipped.

"Kirishima!" Two small weights jumped onto his back, sending him to the ground. "Good morning!"

"Morning!" Kirishima glanced at the cheerful sprites who grinned from his backside. "Where exactly are we? What happened to the shrine? And you finally called me just Kirishima!"

"Well we did agree that we would call you that if you decided to stay as the land god. We're at the shrine of course." Mina said with a giggle.

"Do you like your room? Master Bakugou fixed it up for you so you'll be more comfortable." Sero said.

"Bakugou did?" Kirishima said. He did all this in a single night? How was that even possible? And why? At the same time, Kirishima felt his face warm up.

That's right. He'd forced Bakugou into becoming his familiar last night. The circumstances had been complicated and such and it had all happened so fast, he'd barely had time to process any of it. It had been one hell of a roller coaster, that was for sure.

"Where is he right now?" Kirishima said.

Sero pointed.

"He's right next to you."

Robotic-like, Kirishima's head jerked to the right where he abruptly lay eyes upon the sizzling demon in question. And Bakugou was fuming _._ He was staring straight ahead, but Kirishima could see it all over his twisted face and in the rigidity of his body. Not to mention the literal heat wave that had begun to emanate from him which was strange as Kirishima found himself working up a cold sweat.

"Um," Kirishima said smartly. "Bakugou?"

At his name, Bakugou sharply exhaled. Kirishima tensed, prepared for whatever fate awaited him, but the last thing he expected was the neutral expression he gave him instead.

"Morning, Shitty Hair. Hope you didn't mind me fixing up your room. There should be everything you need, and if there's something you're missing tell me. Starting today, I'm your familiar." Bakugou turned to properly face him. "And as your familiar, it's my job to stay by your side and attend to you. If you ask me to do something, I'll do it no matter what."

Kirishima didn't know what to say. He shook the sprites off, sitting up slowly. Gradually, he began to smile.

"Wow. To be honest, this was the last thing I expected. Although you still called me Shitty Hair… but we can work on that." Kirishima brightened. "You know, I thought you'd actually be super mad."

"Oh yeah? Mad?" Bakugou lifted a hand as if to hide a chuckle.

"Yeah! Sorry, guess I misjudged you. Hey before anything else, I wanted to say sorry about that fight yesterday and then making you my familiar so suddenly. But it all turned out okay, right? I guess this kind of ties us together for the time being so I'll be in your care a little longer. But I have to say, I'm relieved- "Kirishima had been in the middle of a good ramble but was nearly blown away when Bakugou's fist crashed into one of the shrine's walls, nearly lighting it on fire.

"TRY MORE LIKE FUCKING PISSED THE HELL OFF!" Bakugou exploded. Kirishima and the sprites immediately scooted back to avoid the fire that was bursting from his palms.

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN." Bakugou was stomping up and down the hall now as bursts of fire shot out of his hands, mirroring his rage. "Someone as fucking famous as ME has to be the familiar of a shitty-haired human like YOU! I don't fucking know how it came to this, but don't get me wrong,"

He trudged back to Kirishima, jabbing a finger in his face. "It can't be helped now. I'm your familiar. But I'm the best fucking familiar there is, and there's no way I'd serve someone who was any less. So, prepare yourself Shitty Hair. I'm going to fucking make you into the _best goddamn god there ever fucking was._ Now move your shitty ass, we've got work to do."

Bakugou didn't actually give him a chance to move at all before he had grabbed and started dragging him down the hall.

Kirishima didn't really try to fight him. Instead, a small smile twitched across his face. Despite the firework-like display, the fact that Bakugou was so dedicated to his duty was a little inspiring. He had a point after all, though there were definitely other ways he could've said it (Kirishima was getting the idea that maybe he just shouldn't expect that anyways). He really didn't know anything about being a god, and he had practically sealed the deal into it by making Bakugou his familiar so if he was going to live here as the land god, he wanted to try to do a good job of it at least. And it wouldn't hurt to try to become friends with him while he was at it.

When the vampire was chasing him, there had been nothing certain when he called Bakugou to come help him. If he had _really_ hated him, he probably wouldn't have come at all. So, at least he couldn't be a _totally_ awful guy.

The more he thought through everything, the more pumped he got. Hell yeah! He would be the best human god ever! Or at least he'd do his best!

"Master Bakugou, don't drag around Kirishima like that!" Sero fumed after him, but Kirishima could see Mina giggling and gave her a helpless thumbs-up.

"How many years have I been telling you shits to lose that 'master' crap and yet after he asks the first time, you listen to him?" Bakugou said.

"We don't have to listen to you!" Mina stuck her tongue out at him, though she immediately went to hover out of his reach. "Kirishima is the land god, not you."

"And he's much nicer." Sero muttered under his breath but was unlucky enough to be in Bakugou's reach, receiving a prompt flick to the head that sent him whining down the hallway.

Bakugou deposited him in the main area. He must have fixed up the entire shrine because it was also completely different.

"Don't move a muscle." Bakugou glared at him, leaving to enter a curtained side room. "I'll be right back."

"Alright." Kirishima said though he wasn't really paying attention. It really was amazing how much the whole place had changed overnight. Bakugou really seemed as great as he said. "Hey Bakugou, how exactly did you do all of this in one night? It's amazing!"

"I was so fucking pissed, I couldn't sleep. And I know. Now shut up and listen." Bakugou came back and planted a small bucket on the ground. Kirishima peered inside curiously: it was filled with water.

"Now, a god's power is called divine power. Your power will increase as you use it, but to increase it you have to start listening and answering people's prayers." Bakugou said. "That shitty Deku is a marriage god. All kinds of people come with different prayers, but he specializes in blessing marriages and binding fates together."

"Marriage?" Kirishima said. So, this was a marriage shrine then. He hadn't gotten that impression from the weepy green-haired man, but then again he had had no idea that he'd been a freaking _god_ either. He wished he could've heard all this from Izuku himself, but he must've had his reasons for leaving. He wondered if maybe Bakugou had just finally gotten to him and that's why he left in the first place, but there had to be more to it. Izuku had been mostly sad when talking about it, but he wasn't about to bring it up. His departure and following absence seemed like a sore sport that Kirishima didn't want to go picking the scab over, especially at the risk of another outburst.

"Yeah. Now I want to see how strong your divine power is. Turn the water into sake." Bakugou pushed the bucket in front of him. Sero appeared beside him and floated down, handing him more slips of the white paper he'd used in the underworld. "You can use the charms to help."

"Got it." Kirishima took the charms excitedly. Time to prove that he could do it if he put his mind to it. He just had to write on them like before, right? He scribbled the word 'sake' onto the sheet.

"Here goes nothing!" With a battle cry, he slapped the charm straight onto the surface of the water. On the outside, nothing seemed to happen.

Bakugou squinted at the bucket. "Try tasting it."

"Ooh, I'll try!" Mina said, producing a small ladle. In one swoop, she spooned up a mouthful. She audibly gasped and her eyes widened, shocked and sparkling.

"Oh my, this has to be… the most delicious water I've ever tasted! It's so cool and refreshing!" Mina said, applauding.

"Aww, you think so?" Kirishima said, laughing cheekily.

"I'm leaving." Bakugou said, already halfway across the room.

"Bakugou, don't goooo!" The sprites tackled him soundly to the ground. "We'll call you Bakugou if you stay!"

"Get the fuck off! He's hopeless!" Bakugou tried kicking them away, only managing to kick Mina square in the face. Sero clung on for dear life with tape from his elbows.

"Don't run away Bakugou! We won't let you."

Kirishima watched from a distance, sipping at some of the water. Well, maybe it had been a little ambitious to assume that he could do it his first time. Bakugou said that his divine power would increase though so he just had to practice.

Determined, he picked up the rest of the charms and left the wrestling trio to it. He was secretly beginning to wonder if the sprites just enjoyed teasing him or maybe they just had a masochistic side.

Now what to practice on…

~.~.~.~.~

Kirishima slumped with a loud huff, throwing the charms aside.

"Why isn't anything working?" He grumbled out loud. He must've been outside for what felt like hours now, just trying out different things. Among a few things, he'd tried making another bucket of water into sake, tried splitting a rock in two, and even tried changing the color of his hair. When he checked his reflection, he'd been excited to see a different color, but quickly realized that it was just the dark color of his roots.

Now he found himself beneath a tree behind the shrine. He could see buds on the branches and was trying to make them bloom, but nothing was happening except that he was starting to feel like it was time for a nap.

He sighed, chewing on the end of the ink brush. Why couldn't he get the trick down? He'd tried different pressures, tried to change the style of his handwriting, and tried watching his exact wording. It's not like he hadn't done it, he thought as he examined the simple pieces of paper. The charms had definitely worked for him yesterday. Well, except for the first one. What had Mina said? Something about the charm not being more than his own power.

He gazed up at the bloomless branches. He just wanted one thing to work. That was all.

"Alright." He bit back a yawn. "One more time."

He wrote the word 'bloom' on the charm, trying to focus on what he wanted to happen, and stuck it to the tree. He stared hard for a couple of seconds. If there was any flutter, it was only from the wind.

Before he could feel disappointment, another roll of exhaustion swept over him. Why was he getting so sleepy? The question was barely an afterthought as his eyes drooped and the world began to turn over.

Instead of hitting the ground as expected, he registered a soft, but firm arm catching him. Blinking owlishly, Kirishima's head lolled curiously to the side. Bakugou stared back, crouched beside him.

"Obviously that hair has left no room for a brain," Bakugou said.

"What exactly do you have against my hair?" Kirishima mumbled.

"Listen, idiot: the white charm doesn't just work like magic. When you write on one, you're channeling your divine power into it to carry out your will. It's like a muscle though. The more you use it in a short period of time, the more quickly you'll fatigue your supply. It'll build up over time, but if you write so many charms at once you're going to make yourself pass out."

"…Oh."

"No shit 'oh' Hair-for-brains." Bakugou rolled his eyes and let him go. Kirishima squawked, falling the rest of the way down with an _oof!_

"Hey!" He grimaced at the fox demon who was already heading back to the shrine.

"I made fucking lunch. Get inside already." Bakugou called behind him.

"Okay." Kirishima said, but he didn't make a move to get up. He still felt a little dizzy and didn't want to the world to go bottoms-up again if he tried. But Bakugou had made lunch? That sounded good.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of the trickling stream and slight breeze washing over him. Warm rays of light fell across his face. As he let it all soak in, he knew he should get up soon, or Bakugou would come out to yell at him again. But it just felt so nice…

The quiet was broken when Bakugou stomped back out, palms already sparking.

"Are you fucking deaf? I said-" Bakugou trailed off as he reached the tree. Kirishima's eyes were closed and his was breathing was long and relaxed. The idiot had fallen asleep.

"What the hell am I going to do with you?" Bakugou muttered under his breath. "Oi, wake up-"

A pink fluttering caught his eye. Bakugou paused, snatching the moving object out of the air. It was a petal.

Several more petals scattered in the wind. Upon closer inspection, a handful of blossoms had suddenly sprouted on the branches. There weren't many, but they were definitely there.

Bakugou looked to the lightly snoring figure on the ground beside him.

Maybe there was the slightest hope for this land god after all. Kirishima rolled around, shivering when a breeze passed over him. Bakugou groaned into his hand, but headed inside to fetch a blanket. But damn was he a fucking handful already.

A gentle wind swept through the clearing. A trickling brook meandered lazily. All was peaceful…

 _Splash!_

There was no warning before something cold, wet, and heavy landed squarely on Kirishima's face with a _splat_. His eyes tore open only to find dark, beady ones staring back. The green, slick creature barely blinked, a patch of the green creature's skin swelled up.

" _Ribbit_. Land god, are you awake?"

"PWA!" Kirishima shot up, spitting out a fishy taste and sending the talking lump backwards. It flipped gracefully, sticking its landing while Kirishima rubbed water away from his face.

"What the-?" Kirishima sputtered, getting a good look at his assailant.

For one thing it was the biggest frog he'd ever seen. For another, it was wearing the most adorable, tiny hat. For a third, was he crazy or had he _definitely just heard it speak?_

"Kirishima, what the fuck happ-" Bakugou had nearly flown straight through the walls when he heard Kirishima's yell, but having reached the outside he didn't exactly know what he was seeing. However, the sprites who had also rushed over to see the commotion weren't able to stop until they had sailed right into the back of his head.

Kirishima was barely aware of the uproar behind him, fixed on the creature.

"Lord land god!" The toad croaked. "I apologize if I'm intruding. I'm the familiar of my princess, goddess of the swamp. I've come to deliver a message."

One of its webbed hands reached around its neck where Kirishima hadn't noticed a small scroll that had been tucked into a small pouch. Pulling it out, the toad waved it for him to take it. Dumbfounded, Kirishima took it.

"Hair-for-brains, what the fuck is going on?" Bakugou, dangling a whining sprite in each hand, marched over to his side.

"My princess will visit the shrine this evening." The toad said, smiling. At least, Kirishima thought it was smiling. "Lady Asui is very eager to meet you."

"Asui?" Bakugou said, grabbing at the scroll to skim through it.

"Until tonight then!" The toad said and craned its head over in a small bow.

"Ah, yes. I'm looking forward to it." Kirishima fumbled out, also bowing. Bakugou grabbed the top of his head to stop him.

"Idiot, you're the god, you don't need to bow."

"But that'd be rude."

It was a loud splash that made them aware that the toad had already taken its departure.

"Bakugou." Kirishima said after staring at the still rippling water.

"What?"

"…That toad was TALKING."

~.~.~.~.~

"The swamp falls under the protection of Deku's shrine, so it makes sense that she'll be visiting the new god here." Bakugou explained.

"Oh, I see." Kirishima said as he worked gel into his hair, critically examining it in the mirror. He'd have to do redo the coloring soon, especially because his roots were starting to show.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bakugou finally asked.

"Since someone's visiting I have to look nice, don't I? First impressions and all that. It's kind of exciting." Kirishima said. The sun had already set a while ago so the swamp goddess would probably be here soon. He wondered what she would look like. Izuku had looked human, but if her familiar was a frog and she lived in a swamp, maybe she was more fish-like? Whatever. What he did know was that though he wasn't sure what to expect, he could at least try to be a good host.

A hand pressed into his head, mussing up his spikes.

"AH! Bakugou!" Kirishima said, trying to shake off the offender. Bakugou didn't move away.

"Don't bother! You're not meeting her."

"What? Why not?" Kirishima stopped, craning his head back to meet Bakugou's gaze.

"If they find out that the new land god is just a stupid guy with hair for brains, they'll never shut up about it." Bakugou cast him aside and jabbed a finger in his face. "So until they leave, I better not see your fucking face! Got it?"

"No way!" Kirishima said. "They're coming all the way here to see me!"

A light jingle of bells made them pause. A soft glow of light had begun to illuminate the dark outside. Kirishima jogged over, peeking out. As if from the dark itself, a small procession had emerged from the forest. Glowing lanterns floated at their feet to light their way and Kirishima could see fishes beginning to leap from the small creek, as if welcoming the goddess. As for the goddess herself, he could only assume that she currently resided in the small palanquin that was being carried by four others. Light curtains had been draped across the sides so he couldn't see anything inside.

Kirishima stepped down.

"Bakugou-"

"Stay. Here."

The room nearly rattled as Bakugou slammed the door shut.

Mina floated over to Kirishima who flopped over on the ground with a loud huff.

"Kirishima, are you upset?" She asked hesitantly. Kirishima grumbled unintelligibly back.

"Bakugou only said all that because he's concerned about you!" Sero said, poking at his back.

"Concerned?" Kirishima said, scratching absently at splinters on the floor. "More like concerned I'll mess everything up."

And the worst part was, he felt like Bakugou wasn't totally unjustified. He probably would be more of a bother. It's not like he knew how to act in front of another god. He wouldn't know what to do anyways.

But still… if he was going to do this, was it okay to just sit back?

Gritting his teeth, he shoved himself up and went straight for the door.

"Kirishima? What are you doing?"

"I'm just going to look."

"No!" The sprites jumped on him as he crawled his way down the hall. "Bakugou will get mad!"

He moved quietly down the hall but as soon as he began to work out the murmur of voice from the main room, the nerves kicked up. He almost wanted to let the sprites drag him back but finding himself outside the doors made it too real. And as feared, they were definitely talking about him.

"-just a human. Not only that, but a frail human boy. I heard he was attacked by a vampire the other day and only barely managed to escape!" It was a voice he didn't know, but it was speaking loudly. Through the screen, Kirishima could see a pair of rigid arms swinging up and down. "Clearly this god is unfit! The shrine will not last under him."

There was a harsh laugh and Kirishima pressed his ear further against the door. Bakugou!

"You obviously don't know shit four-eyes." Bakugou said. "He may seem pretty useless at first, but that guy's stubborn as a rock. He was the one chosen to be the god of this shrine, so I have no fucking doubts he can do it."

Kirishima didn't know what to think. Had those words really just come out of Bakugou's mouth?

So was it possible that Bakugou… really believed in him?

"So if you're smart, you'd best not fucking say anything else about my god unless you're prepared to lose your life. It'd be a shame especially if I had to do it in front of your master."

"I've heard enough! You call yourself a god's familiar and yet you have the manners and mouth of a wild beast. How dare you utter such carnal language in front of my lady!" There was a swift _clink_ , like the sound of a weapon being drawn. "I demand that you bring out your god right now, or suffer the consequences _fox_."

"I already fucking told you, he's sick so he's not coming." Bakugou said, standing up. From behind the screen, Kirishima could see the flicker of flames come to life in his hands. "But if you're _really_ looking for a fight then-"

The screen door slammed open and Kirishima flew forward despite the wordless screeching of the sprites behind him. Then words were flying out of his mouth.

"I'm very sorry for being late! I'm Eijirou Kirishima, the land god. I wasn't feeling well earlier so I asked Bakugou to greet you, but I'm okay now."

Apart from Bakugou, the only standing figure in the room had a sword drawn and at the ready, though he looked quite off-guard by the sudden interruption. Half-rimmed rectangular glasses framed the man's face, accompanied with a rigid frown and serious eyes. He was decorated with an intricate blue kimono. But it was the figure to his left that had Kirishima staring in wonder.

Wide, round eyes blinked at him. Vibrant water lilies and scattered lily pads were braided into silky green hair that pooled around a soft face and down her back, tied at the end in a simple bow. A gold and green kimono, the most captivating piece of clothing Kirishima had ever seen, was draped around her slight figure. A golden sheer material cascaded over her head like a rainbow, swirling around each arm in a simple yet elegant twist.

This was without a doubt the goddess, Lady Asui, herself.

Kirishima knelt to the ground.

"I'm sorry again." Kirishima said, bowing his head. "So there's no need to fight!"

He really hoped that nobody could hear how loud his heart was pounding. He had definitely burst out on a whim but he couldn't just keep hanging back when Bakugou was being threatened, but the thing was that right now…

He could _feel_ the dagger-like eyes piercing into his back right now.

… right now, he was most scared of how Bakugou was going to react.

"Kirishima." Bakugou's voice was low and sharp.

His heart stuttered. Bakugou had _never_ said his name before. Oh god. He was dead.

"Yeah?" Kirishima said, scared to look up. Here it came…

A hand touched his head and Kirishima was prepared to either have his face pressed down or even pulled up to face the fires of hellish fury, but neither happened. Instead his hand just rested there for a moment. Confused, he forgot his fear and looked up.

As expected, Bakugou didn't look pleased and he was definitely glaring, but there was nowhere near the expected amount of heat behind it. He only looked slightly irritated.

"Fucking moron. You weren't supposed to get pulled into this, but now that you're here just make sure to stay by me so I can look after you." Bakugou stood up and Kirishima followed suit, quietly staring and absently twisting up the spikes he had pressed down. That touch had almost been gentle.

"You're the land god then?" The man with the sword cut in. "You really are just a weak human boy. I barely sense any power at all. Regardless, prepare yourself fox for I am not done with you yet!"

"Just because my master came doesn't mean I'm done with you either." Bakugou grinned. "I'm still prepared to beat you shitless."

Wait, what?

"Then _engarde_!"

Kirishima watched in horror as the two continued sizing the other up. What exactly was he supposed to do here? Desperate, he glanced over at the princess, but she hadn't made any move. She continued to quietly observe.

"Hey Bakugou, don't you think you're going too far-" Kirishima tried until he was pushed brusquely out of the way.

"You're in the fucking way." Bakugou said.

"Take this!" The man rushed forward, sword swinging straight for Bakugou. Bakugou grinned and pulled a small leaf from his sleeve, easily sidestepping out of the way.

"I was wondering what to make for dinner. I think fish sounds good as hell." With a flick of his fingers, the leaf darted onto the man's head. He went pale for a moment before there was a loud _pop_ and a cloud of smoke.

As soon as it cleared, Kirishima's jaw dropped. In the man's place now lay a squirming fish. Its mouth puckered open and closed, gills flapping. There was a tiny pair of glasses that had managed to shrink with it.

With an insidious chuckle, Bakugou plucked it by its tail and watched it flop around as he held it over a burning hand.

"Now how long to cook you for? I wonder how tasty you'll actually be-"

"Enough already!" Kirishima yelled. "Bakugou, let go of him!"

Bakugou froze, the fish dropping from his hand and landing with a soft splat. Kirishima crossed his arms, frowning deeply.

"Haven't you gone far enough? You guys are making a ruckus! Now sit down then kiss and make-up!"

However, when Bakugou immediately sat down, picked up the flopping fish, and started pulling its head towards his lips, Kirishima floundered. He thrust his hands out to stop him.

"Woah woah woah Bakugou! I didn't mean _literally_!" Kirishima cried, but glanced up at the sound of gentle laughter.

"You must truly be the land god." The princess croaked. She was standing up and smiling, raising her hands to her chest. "That was the power of the word bind spell."

So she spoke after all!

"Word bind spell?" Kirishima asked.

"Kirishima." Sero poked his head cautiously into the room. "When the land god gives an order to their familiar, the words hold your power and bind the familiar. The more powerful your order is, the stronger the force is. Your word is absolute… that's the contract between a god and a familiar."

"What? I have a power like that?" Kirishima said. His eyes gleamed in awe, mind whirling.

"I FUCKING TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY ANYTHING!" Bakugou had silently submitted to his commands, but now he was a run-away train as he had managed to fly to his feet to chase away the sprite. "NOW I'M GOING TO BE STUCK WITH FOLLOWING SHITTY HAIR'S COMMANDS."

Lady Asui approached her guard who was still sadly flipping around.

"Please forgive, Iida. He can be a little serious sometimes, but only has my best intentions. I apologize for his impoliteness and any disrespect to you." She said then glanced at Kirishima. "But I didn't come here to start a fight. I've actually come to ask the land god to grant my bond-tying prayer."

"Bond-tying?" Kirishima echoed, remembering once more that Izuku's shrine was one for marriage. "So… this is about love trouble?"

Asui's expression barely changed but her cheeks became rosy.

"Yes." She croaked. "It was ten years ago in my swamp. I was just a small god at the time, but I remember it perfectly. I heard a crying voice and when I went over, I found a little girl lost in the swamp. I didn't want to come out and scare her, but when she saw me she became happy and I was able to help her find her way back."

Asui nuzzled her face into her hands.

"I can still see her cute smiling face. At that moment, I fell in love. Her name is Ochako Uraraka." She said. "And now that it's been ten years, I'd like to properly meet with her but I can't in this form. I've come to ask if the land god would please grant my wish and tie the bond between me and Ochako once more. Lord Kirishima… will you please grant my prayer?"

"No fucking way." Bakugou said, shutting her down instantly. Stunned, Kirishima stared at Bakugou. His expression was steely. "Romance between a spirit and human is taboo. Everyone fucking knows that and you should too princess."

Asui was quiet for a moment. Her eyes began to shimmer with gathering tears.

"I do know that." She said softly. "I do…"

Maybe it was her watery eyes or how forlorn she sounded, but he flashed her a big grin.

"Got it!" Kirishima said, rising to his feet. "I'm not sure how much I can do, but I'll do what I can!"

"Are you deaf Hair-for-brains?" Bakugou said. "I just said it was taboo!"

"Come on Bakugou!" Kirishima grinned. "What good is life if you don't live it to the max?"

Asui blinked, croaking excitedly.

"Thank you Lord Kirishima…"

"Ah, please just call me Kirishima. Those titles are still too weird for me." Kirishima said.

"Then call me Tsuyu!" She said with a smile though Iida squirmed disapprovingly in her hand.

It's not that he didn't believe Bakugou or take him seriously and he couldn't say he knew much about this kind of stuff, but he had an idea of why she had come for help here. If it was really a love that couldn't happen, that's why she had come to ask a god. And maybe he just could never refuse someone who asked for help.

Funny enough, whether spirit or human, it seemed like they all had those kinds of feelings.


	5. The God Sets Up the Frog Goddess,Part II

"You know Bakugou," Kirishima said. "You didn't have to come with me."

The sounds of city-life bustled around them as the two strolled through the streets. It had been a while since Kirishima had been near proper human civilization. It was refreshing and a reminder that he was indeed human himself, but it was still strange to think that his life had been so normal so recently. And to be walking around so casually with Bakugou was fun too. At first he'd been excited that he'd wanted to come with him, but now Kirishima wanted nothing more than to hurry along because with every other word people were giving them disapproving and strange looks.

"Shut up, Shitty Hair. What the fuck are we here for again?" Bakugou said. Kirishima bowed his head in apology towards a passing parent who was glaring their direction as she covered her child's ears.

"You can't just talk like that in public Bakugou. It's rude! And I told you, I needed more hair-dye and this is the only place nearby with my color." He'd pulled his hair back to hide the dark roots for the day, but it was beginning to grow out to the point where he couldn't easily hide it anymore. It was one of his few points of self-consciousness and the only thing he'd ever allowed himself to set a bit aside for. Dyeing his hair had become something of a lifestyle at this point.

"Who cares about your shitty hair?" Bakugou said, pulling at his pants. "That's why you fucking dragged me down here? It's bad enough I have to look this ridiculous."

"I care." Kirishima protested. " _You_ decided that I couldn't go alone and you don't look ridiculous, you look normal _._ In case you didn't notice, that's how regular people, a.k.a. humans look. No ears. No tails. And no kimonos in broad daylight."

"I'm not fucking deprived; I've been around. This is Japan— if a human happened to see me, they probably wouldn't look twice." Bakugou snapped, but stubbornly trailed after him.

Touché.

"I just don't want us sticking out anymore than we have to. But you do remember that the hair-dye isn't the _only_ reason we're here, right?" Kirishima said.

"We already discussed this." Bakugou said sharply.

"No, we _didn't._ You deciding for me isn't discussion. We're finding her! I told Tsuyu that we would. Plus, she even paid us." Kirishima kept catching himself checking for the lump of money in his pocket. His head was on a constant swivel, ready as if his old man were about to jump out and snatch it. Old habits died hard.

"We don't get paid, we receive offerings. Like all followers, if she wanted to do that that's her decision and doesn't give us an obligation."

"Sure but people offer money because they want their prayers answered right? So, it's kind of like a job. And I gave her my word that I'd try my best! This is the only way I know how." Kirishima said. "Plus, we need food. Since I'm a member of the house for now, I need to eat."

"Well fucking obviously. But why buy shit down here? The underworld has the best markets."

"The underworld?" Kirishima squawked. "You've been feeding me stuff from there?"

"It's not like you've fucking noticed. What difference does it make?"

Kirishima's mind whirled over all the meals Bakugou had made over the past couple of days and trying to think if any of them had made him feel funny or what exactly he'd eaten. Except everything had been delicious as he recalled. He didn't know if that was only because he couldn't remember eating half so well before coming to the shrine or if Bakugou was actually a naturally good cook. But the underworld...?

Come to think of it, Bakugou had been doing all the cooking. It was like every time his stomach began to rumble, Bakugou had prepared the perfect meal or snack. And not just the cooking: since Bakugou had come back, nobody had asked him to clean the shrine or pluck the grass; everything was shining and clean by the time he woke up. It hadn't even occurred to him that Bakugou had taken it all upon himself without a word.

He'd been practicing with the charms, but that seemed about the extent of what he'd been doing. He all together felt suddenly a burden.

Kirishima quickly purchased the necessary hair products from his usual shop while managing to keep Bakugou from making too much of a scene despite his complaining of the chemical smell. After leaving the shop, Bakugou seemed to calm down a bit and for a while they walked together in a somewhat amicable silence.

"Say Bakugou," Kirishima startedcarefully as they trudged up the street.

"What?"

"Something's been bother me. I made you my familiar because I didn't want you to feel like I'd chased you out of the house, but I never wanted you to become my slave." Kirishima was slightly taken aback by the snort that followed.

"What's that supposed to mean? As if you could make me do something I didn't want to." Bakugou said. That was technically untrue, but Kirishima thought it safest to avoid that still sensitive subject.

"My point is I feel like I need to do more to pull my weight back at the shrine. I want to help out. Is there anything I can do?"

"Anything you try to do, I could do ten times better."

"Well, I don't doubt that." Kirishima sourly admitted. But though he couldn't argue with his point, it was the principle!

A flash of color caught his eye and he found himself pausing at the entrance to a flower shop. He pointed with a large grin, an idea popping into his head.

"I know! How about we plant a small garden behind the shrine? We could grow our own food and I could take care of it for us. That way we can have a sustainable food source that doesn't come from the underworld."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Bakugou said, but Kirishima had already darted into the store. By the time Bakugou made it in after him, he already had picked out some seed packets from a little shelf and was already pulling money out of his pockets at the register.

"Oi Shitty Hair. Don't just fucking ignore me!" Bakugou said and grabbed his shoulder to pull him towards the door.

"But it's a good idea." Kirishima protested, twisting out of the grip. "I'm not asking you to do anything. I just want to feel like I'm contributing."

The girl at the register squeaked as the two men began to stare each other down. "Um… um, excuse me?" She said, hands waving uncertainly.

"And I'm saying that you don't fucking have to! I already take care of it." Bakugou said.

"Just let me help!" Kirishima scowled.

"Excuse me?" She tried again.

"I said no for fuck's sake!"

"I don't care!"

"EXCUSE ME!"

The bickering duo's heads snapped sharply to stare. The girl's cheeks flushed bright pink, mousy brown hair framing her face. "Um, I'm sorry." She stuttered for a moment but said firmly. "But please don't fight here. We don't want any trouble."

Quickly coming to his senses, Kirishima felt a wave of heat creep up his neck. So much for not causing a scene in public. He bowed low, mortified, much to Bakugou's very vocal protest.

"What did I say about bowing to others Shitty Hair!?"

"I'm so sorry. We'll leave right away miss—" Kirishima squinted at the nametag pinned to the girl's apron. "— _UraRAKA?_ " Everything else forgotten, he sprang up like a child, eyes glittering wildly with excitement. "Uraraka as in _Ochako_ Uraraka?"

"Y-yes?" Uraraka said, drawing back uncertainly. "Do I know you?"

"Oh, no." Kirishima said, oblivious to the complete disbelief and rage that had begun to pain his familiar's face. "But I've been looking for you."

"You have?" She said.

"Yes! I need to ask you something very important." He said.

"You've got to be shitting me."

~.~.~.~.~

"I managed to convince her to meet with you, but the rest is up to you Tsuyu." Kirishima said to the closed screen door. He'd entrusted the goddess in Mina's care and the sprite had happily dragged her away.

"Yeah, _convince_ her." Bakugou grumbled, recalling the round-face girl's flustered countenance. "She just agreed to get you out of her face. What did you expect after talking about talking about stuff she wouldn't remember."

"Just because she didn't remember doesn't mean it can't work." Kirishima said. "She seemed curious at least. She _did_ agree."

Iida drummed his fingers restlessly on the ground to Bakugou's annoyance. The damn guy hadn't stopped since he'd been here. In a fit, he shot to his feet.

"Lady Asui has been with your sprite for too long. If she's not out in the next minute, I'll—"

"Just sit back down and shut the fuck up," Bakugou said.

"How _dare you_ —"

"Now now," Kirishima sighed. He really didn't want another fish fiasco. But luck was on his side, and the two stopped as the door to his room slid open. Mina floated into view, smiling giddily.

"All done! May I present the Lady Asui." Mina cheered and Sero sent a scatter of lily petals over them.

"Wow, you look like a human Tsuyu." Kirishima scrambled to his feet, examining her in awe. "You look the same... but not. That's awesome! Bakugou, you're amazing."

Her hair, previously green, had settled into a jet black that had been bundled atop her head. Her wide eyes had softened into a more human-like appearance though her expression remained unchanging, the tip of her tongue resting between her lips. Gone were her kimono and flowers, exchanged for a simple green smock that Mina had fashioned. Kirishima wasn't exactly one for fashion, but she really looked like a sweet, human girl.

"Ribbit. Thank you Kirishima." She said.

"Well, I didn't do this." He scratched the back of his head bashfully. "After all, it's Bakugou's illusion magic that changed you."

"Yes, thank you Master familiar." Tsuyu bowed her head with a smile. Bakugou crossed his arms.

"I still think this is a bad idea. But while you're in that form, you can't use any of your divine powers or it'll break the spell, got it frog face?"

" _FROG FACE?!_ " Iida screamed in rage as Kirishima's felt the horror make him go pale. Iida was going to kill him for sure.

Except, Tsuyu barely flinched and only held out a hand.

"Yes, I understand. Ribbit." She said and even smiled a little. "You haven't changed at all Master familiar."

"And no ribbitting." Bakugou added.

"Okay. Ri—" She put a hand over her mouth.

"My lady, are you certain you'd not like to just go back home? This is surely ridiculous. Or at least let me stay by your side! If something were to happen—" It was very obvious that Iida could barely contain himself. He was nearly trembling with indignation. Kirishima didn't want to think about what would happen if Tsuyu wasn't there.

"No Iida." Was all she said. "It'll be fine."

"Don't worry." Kirishima said quickly, patting his shoulder. "We'll be nearby. Now, it's close to the time I asked Uraraka to be at the park. Let's go!" It wasn't a lie, but he certainly wanted to get Bakugou out of the space.

"If she even shows up," Bakugou muttered. Kirishima elbowed him sharply and herded them outside.

"We'll be back guys." Kirishima waved to the sprites who waved happily back. Behind them, Iida was glaring daggers. Only until they were out of sight and making their way down the shrine steps did Kirishima feel comfortable enough to turn back around.

"Have you thought about what you want to talk about with Uraraka? Are you nervous to see her?" He asked Tsuyu curiously. She put a finger to her lips, thoughtful.

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it. Anything will be okay though if it's with her." She touched her chest with a small smile. "But knowing that I'll get to see her soon… it kind of feels like when I eat too many flies at once. A fluttery mess in my chest. Ribbit."

"Normal humans don't talk about eating flies, frog face." Bakugou said.

"Bakugou!" Kirishima barked.

"This is what I mean. You may look human, but you're not. I'm just saying you should be careful to remember that."

Kirishima watched nervously as Tsuyu turned to quietly regard Bakugou who stared unflinchingly back.

"… I understand. Thank you for your concern. But I'm going to meet her." And she started back down the steps.

And that was the end of that. It didn't take them long to arrive at the park Kirishima had managed to get her to agree to. They could already see Uraraka sitting on a bench in the distance, smoothing out her skirt over and over, head on an anxious swivel.

Kirishima pat Tsuyu's shoulders encouragingly.

"I'm sure it'll go great, Tsuyu. I'm rooting for you." He said and gave her a thumbs up.

"Thanks. Ribbit." Before they could correct her, she had already left them, smiling widely.

"Well that'll go just great." Bakugou said. "Now let's go."

"Go? Go where?" Kirishima blinked. "We're not going anywhere. I told Iida we would be nearby."

"You've got to be fucking kidding—" Bakugou cut off as Kirishima yanked him off the path and into the brush. With a grin, he pressed his finger against his lips.

"We're going to make sure everything goes smoothly for them okay? Look how happy Tsuyu is." He pointed. Together, they watched as the disguised goddess walked straight up to the fidgeting Uraraka. When she reached her, she bent straight down into her face and even from here, they could see Uraraka's face light on fire as she jumped away in surprise. Bakugou only scowled.

For the next ten minutes they sat in silence, watching, but… nothing seemed to be happening. Uraraka had scoot over on the bench and seemed to be trying some kind of nervous small talk, but Tsuyu only kept smiling and occasionally replying.

"Is she even _trying_?" Bakugou complained.

"I wish we could hear them." Kirishima said. "But how about that Bakugou! I was able to answer someone's prayers after all."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't celebrate quite yet."

"At least you could've been nicer about it. Tsuyu really loves that girl." Kirishima muttered. Bakugou narrowed his eyes.

"I was just saying the god damn truth. Relationships between humans and spirits _are_ taboo."

"But why is that? Have any actually tried?" Kirishima asked.

"Don't be naïve. We come from different worlds— there's a barrier between them for a reason. It's just not meant to be. Besides, human are weak, fragile beings. Why should we care about them at all?" He said it without inflection, as if it were fact.

Kirishima's chest tightened. The way Bakugou talked about humans so coldly... had he always thought this way?

"Bakugou, what are—"

"Well, that's interesting." Bakugou smirked, gesturing beyond the brush. Kirishima whirled around to look.

Uraraka's face was still red and her hand was over her mouth, but Kirishima could've sworn she looked a little happy. Except the next moment, she said sputtered something and jogged the other way. Kirishima's heart began to sink but jumped a little with hope: Tsuyu was still smiling. She was even clutching her cheeks.

"But don't you think that looks like a good thing—" He spoke too soon. A shadow covered Tsuyu. A couple of boys had approached from an opposite direction and neither of them had noticed. But Tsuyu stared at them blankly despite them talking to her and Kirishima felt proud when she turned her head with a dainty flick.

"Yeah, tell them off!" Kirishima cheered quietly. Bakugou knocked his head.

"She _is_ a goddess you know. A couple of human boys couldn't do anything. If they tried, she could probably vaporize them." He said simply and Kirishima paled. Well, hopefully she wouldn't do _that_. There was the soft crunching of gravel to the side, catching his attention. Turning, Kirishima smiled wide and tugged at Bakugou's sleeve.

"Bakugou! Uraraka came back." He said. His worries vanished when he spotted what was in her hand too. She was clutching a lily flower behind her back. But she had frozen in place at the sight of the boys surrounding her.

"She probably thinks she's in trouble." Kirishima stood up. "We should go help." But before he could even take a step, Bakugou had snatched him sharply from behind.

"Not so fast Hair-for-brains. That isn't your job. We shouldn't interfere anymore."

"But why not? We could help." Kirishima protested, anxiously glancing over. Uraraka would take a step forward and then pause, clearly hesitant.

"Yes, but that would defeat the purpose. You can't just interfere as you feel like it. Your duty now as a god is to offer your strength to those that need it, and that's it. If you really want to help, encourage her using the strength of your divine power— if the fire is inside her, you only need to help light it."

"But I," Kirishima trailed off, thinking. If he couldn't meddle directly… then… "Okay. I have an idea."

Determined, he pulled out a blank sutra from his pocket and scribbled on it.

"Bakugou, stay still for a second." He said and stuck the sutra onto Bakugou's face. Utterly shocked, Bakugou couldn't even find words, the fire that usually burned inside him actually recoiling in surprise. And then Kirishima was leaning into his face and anything he'd been working to say died in his throat.

"You can do it! You won't know what can be unless you try. Don't be afraid." Kirishima shouted at him, fired up. Bakugou blinked, bewildered, and remained stunned until Kirishima ducked back down, peering at Uraraka. She had clenched her hands around the flower and her eyes had steeled in resolve.

Then she took off in a run.

"Think she heard me? I hope it worked." Kirishima said and smiled as they watched the girl run forwards. Bakugou ripped the sutra off his face and flipped it over, deadpanning.

"You're a fucking moron, Shitty Hair." In scraggly lettering, the name 'Uraraka' was written across the paper. He drove a fist down onto his head, twisting. Kirishima cried out in protest.

"What the hell Bakugou?!"

"Don't go slapping things on my face!"

"HYA!"

The loud cry made them both whirl towards the gathered group just in time to watch Uraraka sailing towards the boys with a wide kick. Kirishima watched in horror. Bakugou actually barked out a laugh.

"I take it back. I think it might've just been enough."

~.~.~.~.~

"I didn't exactly expect _that_ to happen." Kirishima stretched tiredly.

"Isn't it what you wanted? Frog face seems more in love than ever because of that stupid round-face's moves." Bakugou was still chuckling at the image of her drop-kicking one of the boys. After rounding on the other, they'd scuttled away without another word. Tsuyu had tackled her on the spot and Kirishima had finally allowed himself to be dragged away, convinced she was in good hands.

"Bakugou, didn't you say that Tsuyu could probably vaporize someone? Maybe you should stop calling her frog face." Kirishima frowned at him.

"I'd like to see her try." Bakugou smirked wickedly.

"I'm beginning to think you're a lost cause." Kirishima sighed, but didn't try suppressing his smile. The sunset had washed the area in a golden-red light and Bakugou's red eyes only glowed like fire.

"I have to say," Bakugou said. "That you surprised me today."

"Oh yeah?" Kirishima said, walking beside him.

"I didn't actually think you'd manage to pull that off. Seems like you're getting what you wanted. For now."

"It's not just what _I_ wanted. I just wanted to help." Kirishima said.

"Just accept the fucking compliment."

"What kind of compliment is that? Just say good job or something normal."

"What the fuck is wrong with how I said it? You want praise or not?"

"I don't _want_ praise, I want—" Kirishima felt a hand on his head and stared at Bakugou. A grimace twisted his mouth, but his hand was gentle. Just like before.

"You did good work today, Hair-for-brains. You may become a decent land god yet. Now come on, it's getting dark."

It took a moment for Kirishima to get his gears turning. Somewhere in his chest, there was a slight flutter. Only he was dumb enough to become worked up over a couple words of praise.

"Say Bakugou." Kirishima said after a few minutes of silence.

"What?"

"About what you were saying earlier." Kirishima said. "About the human stuff... You know I'm human. Do you hate me?"

"Are you a moron?" Bakugou scoffed loudly. "You're obviously different."

Well, it wasn't that obvious, but it was nice to hear. That would do for now. Feeling lighter, Kirishima patted his hair.

"Hey, when we get home, mind helping me with my hair? I can do it by myself, but it's easier with another pair of hands." He grinned cheekily at Bakugou who rolled his eyes.

"How the fuck did you ever manage without me?"

"No clue."


	6. The God Is Kidnapped

The fog in the clearing was so thick, it made it difficult to see anything. Where was this place? It seemed somewhat familiar…

He began to make out a silhouette in the distance. As Kirishima approached, he began to realize that it was actually two people. They were on the ground and the second person was being clutched in the first's arms. Something was very, very wrong.

Frustrated, Kirishima started to run. Who was that? Why couldn't he see? And then person hunched over spun around and he gasped silently, pinned by fiery red eyes.

Bakugou?

There was a gentle touch on his leg and Kirishima looked down. A small, green rabbit? Its whiskers trembled around a face of freckles, eyes big and wet. It nuzzled against him.

 _I'm sorry… You'll understand soon enough._

What did that mean? He wanted to yell out and stepped forward once more—but then he felt his foot catch and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground with a face-full of grass.

He looked around in a daze. It was dark out but he could make out a small bird that hopped by his head before taking off, illuminated by the shine of the moon. With sluggish movements, Kirishima rolled himself over. He had somehow also managed to find his way outside.

Had he slept walked? He had been dreaming, but what had happened had already started to wisp away like smoke. He didn't even remember going to sleep.

Confused, he looked down at himself. He was still in his clothes from yesterday. The only difference was that a sheet had been draped around him, though it was tangled with his limbs.

The last thing he remembered was coming home and the whole debacle with trying to get Bakugou to understand how to dye hair. They wouldn't be doing that again anytime soon unless they were prepared to scrub red-stained floors once more. And then after that… He remembered getting really fired up about the day's success with Tsuyu and Ochako. He'd asked the sprites for more prayers sutras to practice. Bakugou had warned him about over-doing it, and then … nothing.

In the end, he really must have passed out. Bakugou must've given him the blanket.

Groaning, Kirishima climbed back on to the deck and made his way down the hall. He turned a corner — and immediately hid behind it again. He peeked.

Bakugou was propped against a wooden beam, staring upwards— his eyes seemed like they were somewhere faraway. So far, Kirishima remained unnoticed.

"What's he doing?" Kirishima wondered. He wasn't really moving or doing anything. He was just gazing off into the distance. It was kind of strange to see Bakugou so zoned out. His face was smooth and free of angry wrinkles. But there was something in his expression that bothered Kirishima. Didn't he look a bit… sad?

"Kirishima, are you alright?" A voice ghosted in his ear.

Kirishima clamped his hands tight around his mouth, resisting a scream, and only after getting his heart rate back in order did he drop his hands and turn to glare at the sprites.

"You guys scared the hell out of me. Don't sneak up on me in the dark." He hissed.

"We noticed you had left your room." Sero said in concern. Mina nodded anxiously.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Kirishima said, but hoped the dark would hide the flush across his face. He figured it wouldn't sound very manly to explain how he'd only woken up after walking straight off the deck and into some bushes. Very uncool. "I'm more worried about Bakugou though. He seems so out of it."

The sprites glanced at each other.

"Don't worry, this isn't too un-normal." Mina said.

"He gets like this every once in a while, on clear nights like this." Sero said. "It's better not to bother him though."

"The last time we tried, Sero got his eyebrows burned off." Mina said. Sero patted his eyebrows, expression sour at the memory.

"On clear nights?" Kirishima asked.

"Yes." Mina said. "You know, they kind of remind me of when Master Izuku took Bakugou in as his familiar."

"Oh? Was Bakugou not always his familiar?" Kirishima said, taken aback. The thought had never crossed his mind.

"Certainly! Before, Bakugou used to be a wild fox. The master and him were, er, friends before, but 500 years ago, Master Todoroki brought him to us because he had gotten really sick. Then Master Izuku healed him and took him in afterwards."

"500 years?!" Kirishima's jaw dropped.

"Yes." Mina said. "He's been here ever since. Even when the master disappeared, he hasn't left the shrine."

That was hard to wrap his mind around.

"Who's Todoroki?" He aked.

"Oh, well Master Todoroki is—"

"Oi, what the fuck are you guys doing?"

The trio froze and slowly turned. Bakugou towered over them. His arms were crossed and a vein pulsed across his forehead.

"Bakugou," Kirishima said. "We were just talking—"

"Yeah, I have fucking ears Hair-for-brains." He barked. "Get your ass back inside, it's cold out and you haven't changed."

It _was_ pretty chilly. If only he could ask him like a normal person, but he was beginning to understand that this was Bakugou-speak for how he cared. Maybe?

"Thanks for this by the way." Kirishima tugged at the sheet draped around his shoulders. Bakugou muttered under his breath as if bashful.

"It's just a shitty blanket. What are you doing outside?"

"Oh, uh, I had a dream and couldn't sleep after that." Kirishima said. "I came out to get some fresh air."

"Idiot." Bakugou shook his head. "What kind of dream was it?"

"Um," Kirishima had to think hard as he tried to grasp it again. "It's hard to remember. I think you were there. It was really foggy and I think I was trying to find you? Also, there was this small green rabbit."

Bakugou grabbed his shoulders and his eyes burned into his, all semblance of calm gone. He could feel his fingers digging in.

"Green rabbit? What was it doing? Did it say anything?" Bakugou demanded. Kirishima sputtered, completely caught off guard by his intensity.

"Woah man, it was just a dream. Why does it matter?" Kirishima said. His brain tried to picture the small strangely-colored creature once more. Only images as foggy as the dream would creep up. "Sorry, I just can't remember. What's wrong Bakugou?"

Bakugou forcefully released him with a growl, almost sending him toppling over. Bakugou's palms were popping with fire and smoking slightly.

"Then what the fuck are you useful for? Just get inside." He snarled and Kirishima felt the hurt sweep through him like he'd been dunked with a bucket of cold water. Clenching his fists, Bakugou whirled around and stomped away.

Kirishima didn't move for a few moments. Bakugou chastising him was nothing new, but he hadn't been so harsh in a while. That wasn't normal. Despite the hurt, he felt worry begin to bubble up.

"Why did it even matter?" He muttered. The sprites floated closer. Kirishima had totally forgotten they were even there.

"Kirishima," Mina said softly. "You misunderstand."

"Master Izuku's animal form is a green rabbit." Sero explained.

"Oh." So, he'd somehow dreamed about Izuku. Was it possible that it had been some kind of message? That's probably what Bakugou thought. No wonder he had gotten so upset all of a sudden.

"Hey guys," Kirishima said to the sprites. "Why don't you go in and try to help him calm down? I'm going to stay out here for a little longer to think."

After they left, Kirishima tugged the blanket around him tighter. He'd hoped that he and Bakugou were on their way up. Today must have been a fluke. Or maybe he could make it up to him if he could just remember that dream.

He could try a dream journal. He'd once heard that it was easier to remember them after doing that for a while, but he was interested in the one right now so maybe not. Or maybe he could walk his was through it. It had started with him wondering around through the fog…

A soft flutter made him look up. A small yellow bird had flown onto the deck and was hopping around, twittering. Kirishima stayed still and it didn't fly away. Huh. Curious, he slowly put out a hand. The bird peered at him for a moment, as if studying him, and then slowly hopped into it. Kirishima could only stare in awe for a few moments— he was holding a bird!

Ever so gently, he raised the hand closer to inspect the small creature as it seemed to inspect him back with equal fervor. Its feathers were a glossy yellow except for a small uneven streak of black above one of its yellow eyes which seemed strangely intelligent.

"You're really cool," Kirishima whispered to it as it tilted its head. He chuckled. "At least you're not going to yell at me right?"

The bird ruffled its feather quickly and poofed up. Kirishima gently pet its head with a single finger and it closed its eyes.

"I'm going to take that as a good sign." Kirishima grinned and feeling more comfortable, readjusted himself while taking care not to shake the bird off.

"Well little buddy, it seems I've gotten myself into a pickle." He sighed, continuing to pet his new friend. "It's not like I'm not remembering on purpose, but I wish Bakugou would actually consider that instead of just blowing up. You know?" He said. The bird pecked his palm, but it didn't hurt.

"And I know I'm not that useful," He mumbled, slumping over. "That's why I was asking to make a garden in the first place. But at least I've got you as my friend now, right?"

The bird stared at him and its eyes seemed to shine for a moment. It pecked him once, twice more and then with a hop it had flown away. Kirishima watched it leave before covering his mouth as he felt a yawn claw its way up his throat.

Any hope of bringing the dream back by now was probably gone anyways. Might as well try to get some sleep… But as he was pulling his arm back, a streak of black caught his eye and made him pause. So tiny he could've missed it, a black scar had appeared on his wrist. It wasn't a cut or a scrape, but a small inky streak of lighting that he didn't remember being there before.

He rubbed at it but it was if it had stained his skin. It tingled a little.

~.~.~.~.~

Either Bakugou had already forgotten last night or he was ignoring the matter all together because he seemed normal the next morning as Kirishima came in to the main room for breakfast.

"Morning," Kirishima yawned.

"What the fuck is that?"

Yup, pretty normal.

"What is wha'?" Kirishima echoed. Bakugou was staring holes into him and even the sprites had floated over to take a look. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No Hair-for brains," Bakugou said and was at his side the next instant, pulling gently at his wrist. Kirishima watched in confusion until Bakugou pointed at the black mark.

"Oh that," Kirishima said. "Yeah, I don't know."

"What the fuck do you mean you don't know?" Bakugou barked. "It damn well wasn't there yesterday. Do you even know what this is?"

"No?" Kirishima arched a brow.

"Kirishima it's a mark of possession!" Mina said in alarm.

"Possession?" Kirishima blinked.

"Did you talk to anyone weird last night?" Bakugou demanded. "Did any kind of spirit approach you?"

"I don't think so?" Kirishima stammered.

"Well whatever it was marked you!" Bakugou growled darkly and his palms grew slightly warm under his skin. Kirishima nervously wondered if Bakugou had ever accidentally set off any explosions and wondered more so if his hand was about to spontaneously combust with how hard Bakugou was glaring at the mark.

"But what does that even mean?" Kirishima protested. "Mark of possession? I don't _belong_ to anyone!"

"Damn right you don't! That's what I'm saying idiot." Bakugou shot back and released his wrist. Kirishima's face felt abruptly warm. With a frustrated huff, he sat back down.

"Eat your damn breakfast." Bakugou said. "And don't leave the house today."

Kirishima had just managed to sit down and take a bite before indignantly raising his head.

"Why not? I was going to plant the garden today!"

"Don't you get it Shitty hair? As a human god, you may have power but you're extremely vulnerable. You were marked right under our noses. I won't let something fucking take you."

"Fine," Kirishima relented. "But I don't want to be cooped up in the house. Besides, I'll literally be five steps away. I won't be far."

"I already said we don't need a damn garden!" Bakugou said.

"It's smart to have and you're just being stubborn." Kirishima shot back.

Bakugou stewed, appearing to bite his tongue several times. Kirishima wasn't going to let the idea go. He wanted to plant a garden and damnit he was going to do it.

"Fucking…" Bakugou sighed, sliding a hand over his face. "Damnit, fine. But these two shrimps are to be with you at all times. And if you see anything weird, yell for me got it? I almost want it dare coming back— it's been a while since I've properly defeated someone." Bakugou's fangs gleamed wickedly as he lit his palm on fire.

Kirishima shivered. For their own sake, he hoped no one would approach him.

"And you little shits are to not take your eyes off him, got it?" Bakugou said to the sprites who looked offended at the notion all together.

"Yes sir!" The sprites were at his side in a second, eyes wide and unblinkingly trained on him.

"Um, maybe a little more space than that?" Kirishima pushed the two away.

Unfortunately, no such luck. For most of the day, the sprites refused to leave his were all insistent that something was going to happen, but what was going to happen if they didn't give him some space soon was that he was going to chuck one across the room.

It wasn't until they were finally outside did the sprites give him some leeway, else they would get hit with a shovel or face full of dirt. And luckily, as the day continued to stretch on, they all seemed to relax when nothing happened. It was just a nice, sunny day.

As Kirishima broke the ground with his shovel, sweat was already beginning to line his forehead. The sting of the exertion on his muscles wasn't unwelcome though. He missed feeling active. At school, he'd been part of a group that maintained a local garden because after they'd harvested, the leftovers were passed around and that meant free food for a couple of days. It had been one of the small things he'd looked forward to doing every day, and since he hadn't actually been to school since coming to the shrine he'd missed the activity. There was something about the hard work of digging up earth and then nurturing it until life sprung up from it that was fulfilling.

He hummed cheerfully and for a while lost himself in the repetitive up and down motion of shoveling. Hours passed in a similar blur and before he knew it, he had softened a sizable portion of the ground. Wiping away the sweat that had plastered on his forehead, Kirishima dropped his shovel and breathed deep.

"Oi Shitty Hair," Bakugou called to him and held out a cup of water which he took gratefully. Only after he had drained the cup did he notice the note in his other hand.

"What's this?" Kirishima asked, taking it.

"It's a request from frog-face for a visit. It was delivered just now." Bakugou rolled his eyes, but Kirishima was grinning as he scanned the letter's contents.

"Apparently Tsuyu's date with Ochako went well even after we left." Kirishima said excitedly. "And she's asking us over for a meal to repay us…" Kirishima looked up from the letter, smiling.

"Want to go?"

"Right now?" Bakugou asked incredulously.

"Yeah! It'll be fun." Kirishima said. "We can ask her about the details."

"I don't fucking care about details."

"Fine, then I'll see you later," Kirishima shrugged and was about to turn and ask for the sprites to deliver his own message when Bakugou grumbled behind him.

"Damnit, I'll go. Don't you dare leave without me Shitty Hair." Bakugou snapped, walking off to retrieve something.

"Really? That's great!" Kirishima smiled. It would've been fine by himself, but it would be more fun with Bakugou. It seemed like he'd really gotten over whatever had made him snap last night, and was back to normal. He turned to the sprites. "You guys hold down the fort while we're gone okay?"

"Of course!" Mina and Sero saluted in unison.

"Cool, I'll just wash up first— Oh shoot, I forgot the shovel hold on." He quickly jogged back to his patch of dirt, but as he reached the spot it wasn't there. That was weird. He was sure he'd dropped it right there.

"Did you guys see where I dropped the shovel?" Kirishima glanced at the sprites.

"Did you take it inside?" Sero suggested.

"No, I don't think so." Kirishima said.

"I'll go check." Sero floated inside.

"Mina will you check around to see if it got buried or hidden somewhere? I'll be right here." Kirishima instructed and they split up to look around. Kirishima walked to the other side of the dirt patch and a little further where the small stream gurgled past. It didn't take him much longer to spot it— only it had somehow landed on the opposite side.

How had it gotten there? Kirishima wondered vaguely, stepping up on a root of a nearby tree to hop over. With a big step, he made it over easily enough and stooped to pick it up.

As he was bent over, there was a light chirping and a yellow bird with a black streak flew by his hand. Kirishima jerked back in surprise and was about to yell out, but paused and stared intently at the bird for a few moments. It stared back at him. One moment, two moments… It didn't do anything except tilt its head.

Shaking his head and laughing to himself a little, Kirishima reached out to pet the bird once more.

"You scared me a little." Kirishima admitted. "Sorry, Bakugou and the sprites got me anxious. You wouldn't hurt me, right little buddy?"

The bird shook itself and Kirishima smiled. But then he blinked and there was a strong whirl of yellow feathers around him. He put up his arms to keep them from blowing into his eyes, but when he lowered them the shovel dropped from his grip in shock. Where the bird had been standing, there was a man. And he was staring right into his face, yellow eyes gleaming mischeviously.

"I wouldn't hurt you. We're friends." The bird-now-man chirped with a grin and Kirishima's mouth hinged open, but he couldn't formulate words.

"Kirishima!"

He heard Bakugou before he saw him and was only able to comprehend Mina's face of panic across the small stream before the man had gripped him around the shoulders, thrusting his hand into the stream. There was a surge of violent energy and the water crackled with electricity, blinding, separating them.

"Hold on," He heard the man say. The last thing he saw was Bakugou's hand attempting to reach across a moment too late before they were surrounded by another flurry of feathers as the breath was forcefully pulled from his body and his body became weightless.

He clawed desperately around him. There was no air. He couldn't breathe; white spots were beginning to form in his vision. Everything was chaos for what seemed like an eternity, but then Kirishima felt solid ground beneath him and the feathers cleared away as abruptly as they'd appeared. He took a couple of heaving gasps, coughing out.

"What the hell just happened?" Kirishima choked out. His head swiveled around in alarm, fixing on the man who had taken him… and was now sprawled out on the ground.

Alarmed, Kirishima rolled the blonde over and suppressed a scream. He was twitching slightly which was scarier than anything. There was nothing short of a dopey expression on his face and he was drooling a little.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kirishima asked carefully, scared to touch the man. But not a couple of seconds passed before something resembling clarity came back to the guy's face and he stopped twitching. He sat up with a groan.

"My bad. I should've warned you about that dude. I'm all good, just discharged a little too much energy." The man said not unkindly. "But I didn't want Bakugou to catch us."

Had he really just been kidnapped by a bird? Kirishima's head was spinning.

"My name's Kaminari Denki." He continued as if nothing was wrong. "I'm a familiar for the Lady Jirou who's the goddess of this shrine."

Peering around, Kirishima noticed that they were indeed in a shrine. Kaminari helped him stand up on shaky legs.

"Sorry again." Kaminari chuckled meekly, scratching his head. "I kind of forgot you were human. I should've thought how my fast travel would have affected you."

"Why did you take me here?" Kirishima said warily. He wasn't getting any ill intentions from this guy. In fact, he seemed super friendly and at ease with the situation. But he _had_ just been kidnapped. This is exactly what Bakugou had warned him about. His heart squeezed thinking about the look of hopelessness he'd seen on his face as he'd vanished.

"Because we're friends Kirishima." Kaminari said with a big grin and eagerly clapped him on the back. "It's been a long time since anybody's been around, so I thought it was time for some company. And you seemed pretty awesome and nice."

"I thought you were just a bird." Kirishima said dumbly.

"I am a bird." Kaminari shrugged. "Technically a bird spirit, but a bird."

"I could figure out that much." Kirishima muttered. They were in a large room, much larger than the one at home. Where their shrine was simple, this one was adorned with elegant décor around the room and there was even lit incense. What was the most eye-catching was the rolled down screen sheet that seemed to split the room. He could make out vague shadows from behind, but nothing else. "Is your goddess behind there?"

"Lady Jirou is resting." Kaminari said. His tone was short, much different to how he'd been speaking but perked right back up. "But be rest assured that she's granted the utmost approval at you're staying. Anyways, let me show you around!"

Kirishima allowed himself to be steered around the shrine without much protest, but his brain was rushing a mile a minute. Where exactly was he? How could he get in contact with Bakugou and tell him where he was? Maybe he could try getting out himself, but then how would he get away from Kaminari long enough?

"And this is the garden!" Kaminari happily announced, leading Kirishima outside for the first time. He didn't know what to make of it at first. His first observation was that it seemed a little… outdated. The shrine's gate was large but seemed warn down and the garden was elegantly displayed and seemed really well kept, but still a little old-fashioned. The centerpiece was a large plum blossom tree wildly flowering in the middle. It was breath-taking, and it was even in full bloom… but there was something off.

"Plum blossoms?" Kirishima said. "But it's summer." Plum blossoms only bloomed at the beginning of spring. He eyed Kaminari strangely.

"This place isn't actually real is it?"

"Well, no." Kaminari admitted after a hesitant pause. "But that's because Lady Jirou loves the plum blossoms so it's important that I keep this one blooming forever."

Great. How was he supposed to escape a place that wasn't real? It's not like they couldn't be nowhere. If he had to hazard a guess, they were probably somewhere in the underworld where a place like this could exist.

"So what do you think? It's awesome right?" Kaminari asked excitedly. Kirishima smiled a little. It was proving hard to remind himself that this guy had taken him here against his will. He was just so nice and chipper.

"It's really nice." Kirishima said earnestly. "I'm sure you're happy here with your goddess. Do you think I can meet her now?"

Kaminari's smile slipped and he turned towards the plum blossom tree.

"Kaminari?" Kirishima said after a moment of silence.

"You can't. You can't see her." Was all he said.

"Okay then." Kirishima sighed. "Then I need you take me home now. Bakugou's probably looking for me." He privately, desperately hoped this was true. Plus, he was suggesting it for Kaminari's sake as much as his. He couldn't help but think about his remark earlier about defeating someone who came after him and what he would possibly do once they were found.

"I can't do that. Plus, that mark means you belong here now." Kaminari said simply pointing to the black mark on his wrist.

"But I didn't have a choice!" Kirishima protested and tried rubbing it off. "Please take it off?"

"No." Kaminari crossed his arms and pouted. "What's wrong with me? Why don't you want to stay here instead?"

"Because you've basically made me your prisoner!" Kirishima said. "Kaminari, I think you're a pretty nice guy so why would you keep me here against my will?"

"I said no." Kaminari gave him a steely look. Kirishima didn't sense any danger from this guy despite what power he'd seen, but something else was wrong here. Something he couldn't quite figure out. But something he was about to.

"Alright then." Kirishima said calmly and stormed back into the shrine. Kaminari trailed after him a moment later. It was only until Kirishima was grasping at the screen sheet did Kaminari start in alarm.

"Hey don't touch that! Don't bother Lady Jirou!" Kaminari screamed, reaching out to stop him but too late.

Kirishima yanked. The screen fell away with a clatter and for a moment there was just echoing silence. A small shrine sat quietly, adorned with a few plum blossoms. A shamisen rested gently against it. It looked perfectly undisturbed for, Kirishima suspected, a long while.

"What's going on?" Kirishima demanded. "Why did you lie about your goddess?"

Kaminari had gone white, drawing back. His eyes were glued to the small shrine he'd previously been hiding. His hands were clenched into fists at the side and for a moment, Kirishima wondered if he was going to be attacked. But when he looked at his eyes, there was only deep pain and sadness.

Kirishima sighed and went to stand beside him.

"Kaminari… who are you? What happened here?"

Kaminari sighed heavily and wandered back outside. Quietly, Kirishima followed until they were both situated on the deck again and waited patiently for Kaminari to start. After a while of watching the plum blossoms fall from the tree, he finally did.

"A long time ago, there was a village of people here and Lady Jirou was born." Kaminari said and smiled fondly, gazing at the tree. "She was an inspiring goddess, one of joy and laughter. More than anything we loved to play the shamisen together and she would keep the villagers safe and answer their prayers.

"But one day, the village was attacked by demons and most of the villagers were slain. Those that were left abandoned it soon after and with no one left to believe in her, she withered away… and vanished." Kaminari's shoulders were shaking slightly, but he sat tall. "But I believe in her, that she'll one day return. It's my duty as her faithful familiar to remain by her side. This place is all I have left of her."

Kirishima didn't have words. The heartbreak was clearly written across the familiar's face. What could be said? It wasn't a puzzle as to why he'd been taken here anymore. He could figure out that much.

Kaminari was lonely. The one he'd cared about had left him… and had not returned. And then Kirishima thought of Bakugou and his dream of the green rabbit. How Bakugou had gripped his shoulders so tightly.

He thought of his father… and his mother. Kirishima's heart squeezed.

"Kaminari… I understand." Kirishima said, gently touching his back. "It sounds like what you had with Lady Jirou was special. But you know… Bakugou's my familiar, and if I knew that he was unhappy because I was gone then I would want him to be free and find happiness for himself. I'm sure your goddess would have wanted you only to be happy."

"Kirishima you're a really cool guy." Kaminari sniffed and Kirishima just then realized that he had started crying.

"Ah dude! Don't cry. That's the opposite of being happy." Kirishima desperately searched his pockets for a tissue, but Kaminari just chuckled wetly.

"It's fine." He said. "You were trying to make me feel better." They were quiet for a few moments.

"Kirishima, I think I would be happy… if you stayed here with me?" Kaminari said hesitantly.

"I can't." Kirishima said firmly. "I have things to do at the shrine. And Bakugou's probably still looking for me. I'm not going to let him be alone again."

Kaminari shook his head, eyes narrowing.

"Why do you even want to go back to that guy? That wild fox is dangerous."

"Hey now," Kirishima protested but Kaminari cut him off, standing up and moving back inside. Kirishima scrambled behind him.

"It'd be much safer if you stayed here with me." Kaminari said and began to rummage around Lady Jirou's shrine.

"Look, I get that he's a little… rough around the edges, but he's never actually hurt us. Don't demonize him!"

"Then you obviously don't know him." Kaminari laughed bitterly.

"And you do?" Kirishima asked defensively.

"Those demons that destroyed Lady Jirou's village… it was _his_ people that did it."

Kaminari's words were like piercing needles of ice. What?

He finished rummaging and gingerly pulled up a little antique bowl. It could've been nothing special for all Kirishima knew, but as Kaminari produced a stick of incense he began to think otherwise.

"Would you like to see?" Kaminari said softly. As soon as he'd lit it and placed the incense in the bowl, it began to affect him quickly. Kirishima's legs went numb and he slowly sank to the ground until he was laying on the floor. His head was spinning and his vision was going blurry. As if from far away, he could hear Kaminari talking.

"I won't keep you there long… just long enough to find out the truth."


End file.
